A senator in New Jersey wants to recoup revenues lost from gas taxes on electric car drivers with a new fee that would charge them by the mile for their travels.
The electric car tax would go toward state maintenance costs, USA Today reported. But the proposal is likely to dissuade buyers from making the move to clean-fuel cars. That’s because the bill, as it is now written, would lead to electric car owners paying more in taxes than those who drive gasoline powered vehicles, USA Today reported.
The current state gas tax is 14.5 cents per gallon, USA Today said.
Under Democratic Sen. James Whelan’s proposal, electric vehicles would be assessed a fee of 0.00839 cents per mile.
“Currently in New Jersey, alternate-fueled and electric vehicles don’t pay a gas tax,” he said, in USA Today. “The guy driving an electric car doesn’t pay anything.”
Mr. Whelan said he was taking steps to keep road funding intact in case electric cars become more popular in the future.
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But Steve Carrallas, state director of the National Motorists Association New Jersey chapter said the electric car fee could actually be twice as more as what fuel-driven car owners would pay in gas taxes, depending on how many miles were driven each year.
“Why do they want [electric car drivers] to pay more?” he asked, in USA Today.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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