Florida Drivers May Soon Pay Mileage Taxes Based on GPS Tracking
The State of Florida is considering a novel idea. Florida is considering using a GPS tracking device to track the miles driven by each vehicle.
Currently, whenever one refuels at a gas station, a portion of the gas per gallon price is a tax that contributes to the cost of maintaining roads and bridges. Florida drivers pay a fuel tax of up to 59 cents per gallon. With the increased popularity of more fuel-efficient vehicles, less tax is being collected.
Florida’s idea is to tax per mile driven, monitored by a GPS tracker attached to each vehicle, rather than the current fuel tax. The State says it is the fairest way to ensure that all residents contribute to the road repair costs. The fees recorded from the mileage driven data would then be divided up between the state, county and local transportation departments, based on which roads each individual driver travels.
To encourage drivers to reduce congestion during peak hours, the Florida Transportation Commission has also discussed placing a higher tax on roads more frequently traveled during rush hour commutes.
Since so many Florida drivers travel between states, the transportation commissioner says this mileage based user fee needs to be a nationwide effort. Florida is among the states trying to get the rest on board. He says we could see this implemented in as little as five years. Both Oregon and Minnesota are currently considering similar notions.