Towards a national vehicle registration fee / by kevin murray

Each State has its own rules of the road, as to how they thus figure out the amount to charge for vehicle registration each year, which varies from some rather complex programs, such as in California, to many a State which simply has a simple flat fee.  The thing is, though, most vehicles are capable of crossing State lines, and many a driver does so.  Further to the point the Federal-Aid Highway Program supports the State highway systems and it would seem that in order to contribute monies to more Federal funding that a national vehicle registration fee should be imposed by the Federal government. forthwith.

 

Additionally, it has to be kept in mind, that there are many types of vehicles on our roads, of different vehicle weights, of different fuel sources, of different engine sizes, of different ages of the vehicle, as well as a different amounts of miles so being driven by each  one of these vehicles, annually.  It would seem then, in consideration that this government has an obligation to help do its good part to encourage the usage of fuels and vehicles that are more energy efficient, or less polluting, or both, that they would want to put into place, a national vehicle registration fee program, which would impose upon those vehicles that are most abusive of our limited resources, or are more prone to polluting, a higher fee so being charged, than those vehicles that are more in conformance with the national goals of energy efficiency and other pertinent transportation desires.

 

In addition, the current way of assessing fees, does not take into account, how many miles a given driver, drives each year.  In other words, just like a buffet, it’s one price, for as many miles as a person so desires or needs to drive.  Yet, the thing is, the more that vehicles are driven in aggregate, the more energy that is being utilized, the more potential pollution is being emitted, and the greater the overall wear and tear is going to be effected on our roads, so of.  This would then reasonably be something in which, there should be tiers of what a national vehicle registration fee should be, not only depending upon the actual vehicle characteristics of that vehicle, but also the amount of miles so driven in a calendar year.

 

After all, the more that a person utilizes a resource, in fairness, the more that they then should be charged, depending though upon other material factors in regards to the nature of the actual vehicle, itself.  Further to the point, a national vehicle registration fee, could have some of its funds so being collected, earmarked to benefit and sustain public or alternative transportation of all types, because quite frankly, the United States does an overall poor job in encouraging its people to avail themselves of public transportation, perhaps because that choice is often not a particularly desirable alternative.

 

Sure, Americans love their vehicles, and they also love their freedom, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have to pay a fair and sustainable price for having that freedom in the first place.