States are scrambling to figure out how to keep making money to funnel into road maintenance amid economic struggles in President Joe Biden’s (D) America.
Officials have historically spent gas taxes on roadways, but “the problem that has developed is those taxes are generating less each year due to inflation, fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars,” Fox Business reported Sunday.
Now, state officials are hoping to somehow replace those taxes, and charging drivers by the mile and not the gallon in the future is one among several proposals.
Others include taxing electricity via car charging stations and adding charges to door-to-door deliveries.
“The federal government is about to pilot its own program, funded by $125 million from President Biden’s infrastructure measure that he signed in November 2021,” the Fox report said.
“So far, only three states, Oregon, Utah and Virginia are generating revenue from road usage charges,” the outlet continued, noting Hawaii is set to join the states listed.
“Eighty-seven percent of likely U.S. voters say they are concerned about inflation, including 63 percent who say they are very concerned, a poll from Rassmussen Reports showed Friday. Only 11 percent say they are not concerned about inflation,” the outlet said.
In regard to the “rise of electric cars,” as the Fox report noted, increasing electricity prices have made it to where it costs more to drive an electric car 100 miles than it does for someone to drive a gas vehicle the same distance, Breitbart News reported in January.
However, President Joe Biden (D) has promoted electric vehicles as his administration pushes for green energy. He stated in January that “on my watch, the great American road trip is going to be fully electrified.”