Congressional Republicans Want To Tax Car Owners

If certain Republicans in the US House of Representatives have their way, soon you could be paying an annual tax for the privilege of owning a car. This comes at a time when people feel like they’re getting crushed by taxes, with many believing Republicans would give relief, not pile on even more.

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According to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves, a Republican from Missouri, the plan to hit everyone with a $20 a year fee for each car they own is supposed to rise with inflation.

Ostensibly, this tax, which some are calling a fee (but let’s get real here), is supposed to help with eventually dropping the federal gas tax, reports Politico. In other words, the money raised by taxing you for owning a car, or multiple cars, will help pay for transportation projects around the country.

On its face, this might sound like a great idea. After all, with EVs becoming more popular, you have a bunch of drivers putting wear and tear on roads without paying their fair share through taxes on gas. This would ensure they help shoulder federal transportation costs.

But we also know once the government starts collecting money from citizens, it usually never ends and will increase over time. After all, the income tax was supposed to be temporary. There’s a reason it’s just taken out of most people’s paycheck, so they never “feel” how much money the government swipes from them every year.

We just don’t trust that this fee will stay at $20 per vehicle annually, only increasing as inflation does. Once the federal government gets everyone nice and conditioned for paying to own a car, the amount will increase. Plus, we don’t think the federal gas tax will be dropped.

In other words, you would be paying even more than before. Thankfully, some Republicans seem to get this. One of them is Representative Chip Roy of Texas, who’s quoted as saying, “Like, are you out of your fricking mind? Like, the party of limited government is gonna go out and, ‘say we’re gonna have [a car tax]?’”

Aptly put. Republicans need to stop the nonsense, not pile more onto the backs of American car owners and taxpayers.

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