SALEM, OR — ODOT has unveiled a driver pilot program set to debut next summer that would tax drivers by the mile rather than at the pump. Five thousand drivers will receive a per-mile credit toward the gas tax.
While this voluntary pilot program doesn’t begin until next year, a state mandated per-mile tax may not be far behind.
“The original bill that was submitted for road usage charging did propose a mandate for the state," says ODOT's Michelle Godfrey, "So I wouldn’t be surprised if that came up again.”
Godfrey says the number one concern from opponents is that the mileage tracking device would also transmit location-data. Godfrey says that is a misperception.
“Any device that is used to count miles does not report any kind of location with that count," Godfrey says. "All the options that actually do use GPS in the pilot program did not report any location data.”
The pilot program begins on July 1, 2015. Whether a state mandate would add or replace the existing gas tax won’t be known until future legislation is introduced.
