How do we pay for our highways if...?

Question

We come up with vehicles that run on alternative fuels such as hydrogen fuel cells?

Currently we pay for our highway improvements through gas taxes that we all pay as we purchase fuel at the pump.

I saw a GM commercial advertising a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle when it dawned on me that if we convert to alternative fuels that run longer or do not need to be fueled as often we will have,

A: Less revenue recieved to maintain our roads through taxation on fuels

B: No way of making up that lost revenue on alternative fuel sales

C: and Just as many vehicles causing wear and tear on the roads we drive on.

How do you propose we could make up the lost revenues?

Answer 1

By taxing the new fuel sources, really it's quite simple.

Answer 2

I would almost think a very small tax on your income . Maybe a penny on a dollar or what ever. Maybe they could sell road tax sticker for your car and go by size and weight and you must have one in order to get your license plates every year that way they can estimate how many vehicles are on the road and the average cost for maintenance per year and what to charge for the sticker

The only reason i say on your income tax is because roads benefit every one not just the person driving . I know allot of people don't drive and would not want to pay but allot of people don't go to school either but still pay school tax its for the good of all

Answer 3

the government will just tax hydrogen.

This is what they do to biofuel right now. If your making your own biodiesel and the govt. finds out your will get a fine in the mail for about $4,000.

Answer 4

do you really think they are fixing highways off gas taxes?I drove the whole united states this summer,and there werent to many roads that didnt suck

Answer 5

Alternative forms of taxation, naturally.  The most obvious would be to increase taxes on vehicle sales, or products sales (say, hydrogen fuel cell.)  Create a specific "highway tax."   Or cut pork barrel in other areas to redirect funds.  And so on.

Answer 6

New taxation of related things to replace the gas tax (hooray!) or reduced spending of unneeded and useless other programs.... really, that was a simple question.