gas tax

RICHMOND -- State senators in Virginia have come up with an unusual new tax increase. People who don't like it don't have to pay it.

But here's the catch: They must be especially well organized.

The Senate, which hopes to raise about a billion dollars a year to spend on transportation, is seeking a 5 percent increase in the wholesale gas tax to help raise the revenue.

Even though the tax is on wholesalers, it could well be passed along to motorists as they pump their gas.

So under a bill that the Senate Finance Committee passed this week, they could get some money back. That is, they could get it back if they saved all those flimsy little gas purchase receipts littering their car floors and spilling from their glove compartments and sent them in to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Twice a year, motorists could ship off a bundle of receipts and, weeks later, receive a check in the mail representing a rebate of the new gasoline tax. Based on today's gas price, the refund would amount to about 8 cents a gallon.

every time i fill up i spend about $55 so i'll gladly save all those receipts to get my 8 cents a gallon back.

sucks that its happening though

So basically gas is going to go up 8 cents a gallon!?

If it goes up 5% it'll go about about $0.10.  (I'm $2.03/gal here) and you could possibly get 80% of that back.  Why the hell don't they just tax it one percent and cut out the middle man and the paperwork?   **if they have to tax it**

Quoted: If it goes up 5% it'll go about about $0.10.  (I'm $2.03/gal here) and you could possibly get 80% of that back.  Why the hell don't they just tax it one percent and cut out the middle man and the paperwork?   **if they have to tax it**

They know most people aren't going to keep up with ALL of the recipts.  I would say 5% will have complete documentation, 5% will keep some and the other 90% will bend over

So my nightmare is true...

Politician says "Hey guys!  I've got a great idea!  Let's make people work for a living to get their money, and then tax them and steal that money from them, and then make them work AGAIN to get that money back that we stole from them.  Whatya think guys?  Huh, whatya think?!"

People keep telling me I need to get into politics.

Here you go this is a link to the contact info to the Virginia Senate.  Lets make our stance known about how we feel about increased taxes.


ETA looks like the Senate passed it! Here is the link to contact your Delegate

The bill would provide that all moneys credited to specified transportation-related funds shall be solely used for the purposes set forth therein relating to the funding and maintenance of highways (including access roads and bikeways adjacent thereto), public transportation, congestion mitigation, railways, seaports, and airports; making payments on bonds and obligations related to funding transportation projects; or making loans to finance transportation projects.

The bill would raise new revenues for transportation by (i) imposing an additional $200 fee upon certain convictions relating to violations of Virginia's driving laws; (ii) imposing annually additional fees on any driver with a driver's record having a balance of 8 or more demerit points; (iii) increasing motor vehicle registration fees by $10 for all vehicles and doubling the gross weight registration fee for vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds; (iv) increasing current liquidated damages for violations of any weight limit imposed under law or for violations of any weight limit included in a permit that has been issued; (v) imposing additional liquidated damages of $20 for every violation of any weight limit imposed under law or any weight limit included in a permit that has been issued; (vi) increasing the state grantor's tax to 30 cents for each $100 of value with the revenues from the increase in the tax distributed to the respective locality and required to be used for local or regional transportation projects; (vii) authorizing local governments to impose a local grantor's tax at the rate of 10 cents for each $100 of value with the revenues to be used for local or regional transportation projects; (viii) increasing the motor fuels tax on diesel fuel to 17.5 cents per gallon (the current rate of the motor fuels tax on gasoline and gasohol); (ix) imposing a 5% tax on motor fuels that would be based on the statewide average retail price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded regular gasoline over rolling six-month periods and that would be imposed at a cents per gallon rate; and (x) increasing the motor vehicle sales and use tax from 3% to 3.75%, phased-in over fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 2009. The bill would also dedicate for transportation purposes all insurance license tax revenues relating to automobile insurance policies.

The bill would allow individuals to apply for a refund of any motor fuels tax paid in excess of 17.5 cents per gallon. Individuals would apply for a refund when the cumulative amount of the refund would exceed $5.

So basically you can't even apply for a refund unless gas goes to more than $3.50/gallon as a statewide average?

Wow.

Quoted: So basically you can't even apply for a refund unless gas goes to more than $3.50/gallon as a statewide average? Wow.

How do you get that?  The last part listed by Hokie just means that you cannot request a refund unless your refund would be in excess of $5.

And I don't particularly like the idea of sending off my gas receipts.  While most places don't print your CC # on the receipt any longer, some places still do.  And if that receipt was to fall into the wrong hands...well, let's just say the government isn't all that dependable in that regard.

As I said before, just WTF is up with the senate?  Seems like they're running wild this session.

OK, after reading through the text of the bill, it looks like the biggest clusterfuck I've ever seen.

And I can't believe my senator voted for the thing.

Quoted: Quoted: So basically you can't even apply for a refund unless gas goes to more than $3.50/gallon as a statewide average? Wow. How do you get that?  The last part listed by Hokie just means that you cannot request a refund unless your refund would be in excess of $5.

When I read this part:

Quoted: The bill would allow individuals to apply for a refund of any motor fuels tax paid in excess of 17.5 cents per gallon.

The calculation was:
(Price per gallon) x (tax percentage) = (tax money collected)
or
(Price per gallon) = (tax money collected) / (tax percentage)
(Price per gallon) = ($0.175) / (0.05)
Price per gallon @ 5% tax when tax money collected equals $0.175 = $3.50

Got it?

If it's a 5% tax and there is ever a time when this tax will cost you 17.5 cents per gallon, the cost per gallon would be $3.50 BEFORE the taxes.  In other words, the gas stations could charge you $3.6749999999/gal and you wouldn't be able to apply for the refund.  And on top of that, they will only refund your money if you would get $5+ back after all that pain.

Okay I'm going to return to my nerd-dom.

We already pay 17.5 cents per gallon in state gasoline tax.  

When they got rid of the personal property tax on vehicles they had to get the revenue from somewhere!

Anyone other than me own a boat, personal watercraft, trailer for such, or a utility trailer?  I've now got STATE stickers on my trailers, my boats, etc. and LOCAL stickers on them as well!  Every penny that they lost from cars they transfered there (taxing the wealthy), and to continue to fill the budget shortfalls, they're taxing something that everyone with vehicles NEEDS!  Oh, and when you pay your registration fees on your vehicles, they're taxing the street, too!  Oh, and in addition to this bill, I heard on the radio today that they're going to be working on bringing back TOLL BOOTHS on the VA roads that they have removed over the last 15 years to raise revenue for the general fund!  The old law was that tolls had to be used to pay off the new road and support it's continued maintenance.

Luckily I'm active duty military, and I get the stickers gratis, but I'll have to retire sometime and I may have to end up selling some of my toys because the tax burden of the annual stickers will be outrageous!

This new gas tax is outrageous.  NO society ever long survived that forced it's citizens who produce to bear the full burden of that society!

Tom  

So what is that last part saying?

$20 says the costs of processing and returning refunds will eat up more funds than this new tax brings in.

Quoted: So what is that last part saying?

The 5% tax will be on gasoline wholesalers.  They will pass that cost along to the end users.  Which means gas prices will go up at least 5%.  So if gas is $2 a gallon, the actual tax will be around 27.5 cents per gallon.  If you send in your gas receipts, the state will refund anything you paid above 17.5 cents per gallon.

It's a 'let's take advantage of the people who aren't studious enough to save their receipts and take the time to mail them in" scheme.

In other words, total and complete bullshit.

Quoted: $20 says the costs of processing and returning refunds will eat up more funds than this new tax brings in.

I'll up the ante and say $50.  If they have to hire more DMV clerks to process the refunds, there won't be much money left over.  Esp. if a lot of people request refunds.

As I said before, this is one of the biggest clusterfucks I've ever seen from Richmond.  Again, WTF IS UP WITH THE SENATE???

Quoted: Again, WTF IS UP WITH THE SENATE???

haha dude, WTF IS UP WITH OUR GOVERNMENT?!

Bump

Not too late.  Called my Rep. again to make sure he doesn't vote for it.  Here is your chance to make your voice heard.

Any updates?

Quoted: Any updates?

As far as I know the House has killed it but when they come back to fix the budget I am sure it will come back up again.

Quoted: Quoted: Any updates? As far as I know the House has killed it but when they come back to fix the budget I am sure it will come back up again.

The whole thing, or just the refund?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Any updates? As far as I know the House has killed it but when they come back to fix the budget I am sure it will come back up again. The whole thing, or just the refund?

Whole thing

Quoted: $20 says the costs of processing and returning refunds will eat up more funds than this new tax brings in.

No one is going to take that bet because it's going to happen. They are going to create a money eating machine and then turn around and tax something else to help pay for it!

I know people like to bitch and complain about gas prices and big oil companies but has anyone looked at how much of those prices go to taxes? How about 21%. Almost a quarter of what we pay at the pump goes to taxes. That's a higher percentage than the cost of the refineries and the second largest cost after the crude.

All for sitting back and doing nothing and then coming up with more bullshit taxes

Quoted: Quoted: $20 says the costs of processing and returning refunds will eat up more funds than this new tax brings in. No one is going to take that bet because it's going to happen. They are going to create a money eating machine and then turn around and tax something else to help pay for it! I know people like to bitch and complain about gas prices and big oil companies but has anyone looked at how much of those prices go to taxes? How about 21%. Almost a quarter of what we pay at the pump goes to taxes. That's a higher percentage than the cost of the refineries and the second largest cost after the crude. All for sitting back and doing nothing and then coming up with more bullshit taxes

Amen!  Those fucking politicians like to grandstand and lecture the oil companies about price gouging and demand that the oil companies give back their profits.  Yet we demand the politicians do the same thing and they will hym and haw over cutting spending, give aways in exchange for a tax cut.  It is ironic to say the least.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: $20 says the costs of processing and returning refunds will eat up more funds than this new tax brings in. No one is going to take that bet because it's going to happen. They are going to create a money eating machine and then turn around and tax something else to help pay for it! I know people like to bitch and complain about gas prices and big oil companies but has anyone looked at how much of those prices go to taxes? How about 21%. Almost a quarter of what we pay at the pump goes to taxes. That's a higher percentage than the cost of the refineries and the second largest cost after the crude. All for sitting back and doing nothing and then coming up with more bullshit taxes Amen!  Those fucking politicians like to grandstand and lecture the oil companies about price gouging and demand that the oil companies give back their profits.  Yet we demand the politicians do the same thing and they will hym and haw over cutting spending, give aways in exchange for a tax cut.  It is ironic to say the least.

On any given day we could probably find a post over on the GD about how oil companies are gouging prices, turning a profit (GASP!) or generally running a monopoly yet they do all the work, put their people in harms way, drill, ship, refine, and distribute all the gas in the US. Meanwhile the smilely glad hands sit back and tax the shit out of it and then complain it's not enough. Even in todays world, with all the shit going on in the middle east, if you cut the tax in half gas would still be under $2 per gallon.

And you're right, if we told them to cut taxes the first thing they would scream is, "there won't be enough money for the schools" and everyone would say, "okay, nevermind".

Sorry for my mini-rant

Quoted: Sorry for my mini-rant

Go on ahead.