This is the email I sent to state Rep. Brett Miller, R-East Hempfield Township, state Sen. James Malone, D-East Petersburg, and Gov. Josh Shapiro. (Editor\u2019s note: It\u2019s been edited for newspaper style and clarity.)<\/p>\n
I am writing to complain about the new $250 electric vehicle road use fee that has been levied. I agree that EV drivers should pay their fair share of road taxes, but it should be charged on miles driven, just as the gas tax essentially works. The more you drive your gasoline-powered car, the more gas you buy, and the more tax you pay. That\u2019s fair.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the Pennsylvania state government knows exactly how many miles I drive my Chevrolet EV in a year, because that information is captured during the annual state inspection. The inspection station has it available, because it\u2019s used to determine whether there is an exemption for the emissions inspection. My mileage in retirement was often eligible for the exemption.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at actual numbers. The Pennsylvania gasoline road tax is among the highest in the nation, at $0.576 per gallon. The average gas mileage for cars on the road in the United States is estimated to be 24.4 miles per gallon of gasoline. At that rather low mileage, the gas tax is $0.0236 per mile.<\/p>\n
I drive around 4,000 miles a year in my Chevrolet Bolt. The tax should be 4,000 multiplied by 0.236, or $94.40 per year. At the flat rate of $250, I\u2019m paying more than 2.5 times as much as a driver of a gas-powered car! Unfair!<\/p>\n
Somehow, the decision to drive an electric car has become politicized, and people who make that personal choice are being penalized and demonized. I don\u2019t like it one bit. You have the power in the Pennsylvania Legislature to fix this, and I urge you to do so! The EV and plug-in hybrid vehicle charges should be mileage-based instead of flat rates.<\/p>\n
Emery DeWitt<\/p>\n
East Hempfield Township<\/p>\n
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