Oregon To Be First In Nation To Implement Per-Mile Road Tax Program

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

With EVs and other fuel-efficient vehicles saving consumers money at the pump, Oregon will be the first to issue a per-mile road tax to refill its coffers.

Automotive News reports the state will offer two options to its motorists: pay at the pump, or pay a 1.5-cent rate per mile traversed. The latter will be conducted through a device that plugs into a vehicle’s OBD port, then gathers mileage data to determine how much the motorist will pay in tax.

Right now, the program — set to begin July 1 — will be implemented by the Oregon DOT in partnership with Sanef ITS Technologies America and Intelligent Mechatronic Systems, the latter supplying the aforementioned OBD mileage reader.

Up to 5,000 volunteers will participate in the initial program, which will compare the tax paid at the pump to the miles driven. The results will be turned over to ODOT, which will then determine if a motorist is given a refund or an invoice based on said findings.

Oregon won’t be the only one to undergo a road tax program: over 10 other states are either in the process of passing legislation or conducting trials for such programs.

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

More by Cameron Aubernon

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 80 comments
  • It's great! The faster I Drive my G35 in the city the more the state pays me :). For me the tax pays me after 21mpg. Every mile under is more money back. As a Eugene Oregon resident for life, the High-mpg car ratio is about 1:5 (1 high-mpg to non). Tons of prius's hybrid civis/accord and a metric ton of yuogurt-plastic wrapped Kia cars and Hyundais. The issue is not the pure electrics or hybrids, it is the 25+mpg city / 40mpg+ highway cars and the car-pooling that goes on. we also have about 2x as many diesels as we did 5 years ago. There are significant tax losses going on with the upward mpg gains and the local Gov is fumbling around with a low populous state with many more miles of state maintained road than we can afford to pave. the Truly stupid part... (soapbox) is we have 1 lane of concrete for our I5 highway that has not needed real maintenance in 15 years... and every other road is that garbage low heat asphalt they pay $ to rip out, then pay $ to replace all in the name of union job requirements. dumbasses.

  • DearS DearS on Mar 09, 2015

    I think I would very much love some Transparency. I feel I live in a country with where the majority are ostriches, with their heads in the sand. I feel depressed just thinking about ostriches!

  • Carilloskis Carilloskis on Mar 09, 2015

    I know that I am paying more than my fair share of road taxes as I drive a lot of off road driving on roads that are not maintained by the highway trust fund. when I'm off road in the raptor diff locked or 4x4 in off road mode (which puts the truck into a higher power band) I only get about 9 mpg when I'm on a highway I get between 16-21 MPG depending on speed terrain and tire types. Why am I paying for roads that I'm not using? I know that I don't want the government tracking my every move, but I don't like other people getting a free ride. I also have modern winter tires with studs for the Raptor in winter I can tell the additional grip is there over when I had the same tires without the studs. I believe that the only tires you can get studded today are winter tires which have more advanced winter rubber compounds. If states wanted to generate more revenue from the gas tax up the speed limits to 80 MPH like many western states have done, its no secret that cars burn more fuel than the 55MPH of the EPA test cycle so if everyone is going faster and using ultimately more fuel they are spending more on road taxes.

  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Mar 10, 2015

    I've had enough and can't keep it in anymore. This is nothing but a bunch of statist nonsense and if you don't get it, you deserve an all expenses, one way trip to Cuba. There is not one post here, or comment anywhere else for that matter, justifying these devices. First, claiming you need to tax everyone a new way because the cars you are subsidizing are getting a free ride (which is likely less than the subsidy over the life of the car anyway) should be met with outrage. Second, the Rube Goldberg method of the tax should be reason for its dismissal as stupidity and those backing it run out of government. Third, this is nothing but a boldfaced lie. They want the device in your car in the hopes that they can use it for something. I don't know what, but it's plain they aren't doing this for the roads, or even for the children. They want the data, or they want to raise the taxes, or they want a shiny new building full of government workers or whatever. Don't care. Anyone with any sense would look at the amount of revenue justified and propose to get it in a different way unless they had another purpose. I won't be surprised if one of the people involved gets water boarded into confessing, and frankly, I won't feel one bit that the non torturous ordeal was out of proportion to the treasonous, Anti-American crime. And before you ask, yes, that's how I really feel. Good Day!

Next