Are Mileage-Based User Fees In CT A Good Idea? Take The Patch Survey

CONNECTICUT — As Connecticut drivers, and the rest of the planet, shift from internal combustion to electric engines to move their cars, what happens to all that state revenue taxed at the pump, funding all that infrastructure growth?

That's the question on the minds of many state governments, including the one in Hartford. The sales of electric cars in the U.S. rose from 0.1 percent of total car sales in 2011 to 4.6 percent in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gasoline taxes account for 84 percent of federal and 29 percent of state highway funds, so something's got to give.

One solution currently being studied by lawmakers across the country is a mileage-based user fee. Utah, Oregon, and Virginia have already adopted MBUF systems, and Hawaii has one on the way.

Consumer Reports thinks it's a terrible idea. In a 2019 report, the editors found that, "Owners of an electric vehicle in some states could be forced to pay double, triple, or even quadruple the amount that owners of new gas-powered vehicles pay in gas taxes."

But proponents of the fees point out that, as it stands now, EV motorists pay no gas taxes but ride along the same roads and infrastructure that those taxes help support. Various forms of annual or at-purchase flat taxes have been proposed, but these have the unpopular effect of penalizing motorists for switching to an electric vehicle.

Past those broad strokes, there are more subtle concerns over privacy and equity. The state would be tracking your mileage and storing that data… how and where, exactly? And a RAND Corporation analysis found that MBUF "winners"— those households where an MBUF would reduce the tax burden — include retired households and households located in rural areas. MBUF "losers" are households in urban and suburban areas.

So where's that put Connecticut motorists? The Eastern Transportation Coalition has rounded up 150 residents for a study to learn just how MBUF could work here, and to provide feedback regarding what they like and don’t like. The group is a partnership of 17 Eastern U.S. states, including Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., who will share the data and insights learned.

Participants in the study will have a device in their car that will track the number of miles they drive, and will provide feedback regarding their experiences and thoughts on the possible program.

What do Patch readers think? How should Connecticut cover the EV/Gas Revenue Gap? Is a road-usage based system fair, and the way to go? What about a flat or annual fee levied upon EV drivers? Or should lawmakers try to make up the loss in revenue through ways other than targeting EV drivers? Let us know your thoughts in the survey below.