Fairfield Legislators Say ‘No’ to State's Mileage Tax

From Connecticut General Assembly:

State Reps. Brenda Kupchick (R-132) and Laura Devlin (R-134) on Monday, July 25 said they are strongly opposed to state mileage tax, which taxes how far Connecticut residents drive.

Representative Kupchick said, “The majority party in the legislature and Governor Malloy continue to push for unsound policies and continue to ignore the structural changes state government needs. This proposal will crush already overburdened and overtaxed middle class residents.”

The Fairfield legislators learned recently that Connecticut is participating in a multi-state application for a federal grant to study the feasibility of a mileage tax.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation has joined with several other states to study the concept of charging drivers according to the number of miles they drive. Connecticut has also committed to spend $300,000 in taxpayer funds in the study should the grant be awarded.

The idea of a "Mileage Tax," which would charge citizens for every mile traveled, surfaced a year ago when the governor was looking for ways to fund the massive $100-billion, 30-year transportation infrastructure plan. The State Department of Transportation now has a renewed interest in this tax and wants to study the feasibility of imposing it on you.

A mileage tax would be assessed on you, the driver, based on the number of miles you drive your car per year, and would be determined by a Global Positioning System (GPS) installed in your car. The proposed tax would apply only to Connecticut residents, not to out-of-state drivers who use our roads daily or drive through our state.

Rep. Devlin, who is a member of the legislature’s Transportation committee said, "I opposed this mileage tax last year when the concept was presented by the Governor’s Transportation Finance Panel to our committee, and I still oppose this tax now. The number one thing I hear from my constituents is, 'enough already!' We are overtaxed as it is. And without a secure 'lockbox,' there is no guarantee that new revenue raised would actually be directed to improving our infrastructure."

Fairfield lawmakers have been inundated with calls and emails from Fairfield residents opposing the mileage tax.

Both Kupchick and Devlin also said they see a mileage tax as an invasion of privacy. The mileage tax would be calculated by a GPS tracking device installed in one’s vehicle, which would collect data on the miles driven by state commuters.

“This program will also create an administrative burden on our state. A mileage tax implementation would require expanding state government with the hiring and oversight of more state employees," said Reps. Kupchick and Devlin. “We proposed a transportation plan, ‘Prioritize Progress,’ which is a viable transportation solution, which provides for an annual transportation funding mechanism guaranteeing at least $1 billion annually over the next 30 years with no tax increases or tolls. Our proposal provides for flexibility in setting transportation priorities and gives Connecticut a sustainable and predictable funding plan to support future generations.”

Photo courtesy of the Connecticut General Assembly