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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19200
Location: PDX5/9/17 11:13 AM |
Way to go Oregon, Not...
To fund new road costs, proposed bill/law among other things puts a 5% tax on new adult road bicycles, 1% on new cars. Apparently they lacked the temerity for the tax to be on MTB and kids bikes.
OK, help me understand how bicycles funding new lanes on the interstate and a local bypass that have no bike lanes which no one in their right mind would bike on....
This bill had better show a bunch of cycling infrastructure projects and improvements or there is going to be riots here. :)
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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven5/9/17 1:35 PM |
and batteries not included
I can see the tax loophole now.... "wheels sold separately"
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daddy-o
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
Posts: 3307
Location: Springfield5/9/17 7:41 PM |
This sounds like an analog to the Republican Congress' healthcare plan:
Support the healthy and the wealthy on the backs of the sick and the poor.
--Robert Reich
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6935
Location: Maine5/11/17 5:21 PM |
Don't blame Oregon just yet
If it's just proposed, any state has legislators who will propose crap. I have seen the argument that cyclists should pay their share of road maintenance costs etc. I think the better argument is that they should be paid, as the alternative is to use cars, which put much greater strain on the infrastructure.
My guess is that Oregon's cycling culture will squish this like a bug.
IIRC Sen. Ron Wyden is an avid cyclist and founder of the Congressional Bicycle Caucus. Obviously he is fed not state but perhaps he could express an opinion on this.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19200
Location: PDX5/11/17 6:31 PM |
" I think the better argument is that they should be paid, as the alternative is to use cars, which put much greater strain on the infrastructure. "
We have 2 newer cars, pay reg, insurance and gas tax, I also have bicycles [as some of you know]. Why should I pay extra for the bike wear on the roads when I already payed on the car I decide to leave home and not use which puts tons more strain on the infrastructure??
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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5122
Location: Nashua, NH5/13/17 3:37 PM |
There are no valid arguments for taxing bikes
We periodically see similar attempts to mandate registration of bikes and kayaks under the same argument of paying for infrastructure. It's just an attempt to extort money from groups who are perceived as weak and/or disorganized, and therefore "ripe for the picking". Whenever it happens, we rise up, smack the idiot politicians up aside the head and they back down; it just a big game of "Whack a Mole".
In a state like ours that depends on tourism, harassment of cyclists and paddlers by law enforcement would have a seriously negative impact on the economy, far in excess of any revenue generated. There are lots of solid arguments against these kind of taxation/registration schemes and not a single valid argument for them. It's just state government greed.
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