Is a VMT Tax a Good Idea?

Late last month the Associated Press reported that San Francisco transportation officials will study the idea of implementing a tax on vehicle-miles traveled as a way of decreasing congestion and increasing roads funds. The plan would charge drivers anywhere from fractions of a penny per mile up to a dime depending on the time of day. Based on current driving patterns, the mileage tax could deliver the Bay a daily revenue in the area of $15 million.

To date the American public has shown little but disdain for the idea of a VMT tax. As Emily Badger reported last fall, some people consider the thought of someone watching over our odometers too "creepy," while others merely distrust the government's ability to spend the money wisely on road funding. Slate crowned the recent Bay plan its "bad idea of the week."