OT: Bike Tax

[Jeremy Yost]

Just did STP for the first time this year. While in Oregon I learned that they have a bike tax. Colorado is also proposing the same:

https://bikeportland.org/2017/07/19/it-has-begun-oregon-inspired-tax-on-bicycles-spreads-to-colorado-235408

[Peter Colijn]

The Oregon tax was sold as making cyclists "pay their fair share" for infrastructure. Seems like there are many problems with it (example: only applies to bikes with wheels 26" or larger, so folding bikes are an obvious loophole, and buying frame & wheels separately might be as well). I hope this isn't a new trend, but if Colorado is doing it then it might be :(

On Thu, Jul 20, 2017 at 3:30 AM, Jeremy Yost <jerem...@gmail.com> wrote:

Just did STP for the first time this year. While in Oregon I learned that they have a bike tax. Colorado is also proposing the same:

https://bikeportland.org/2017/07/19/it-has-begun-oregon-inspired-tax-on-bicycles-spreads-to-colorado-235408

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[Yuanyu Chen]

Kind of surprised for Oregon that the extra registration fee for EVs going forward is only an extra ~$110, but EVs are also going to get a $2500 rebate from OR. How are EVs going to pay their fair share if they don't pay gas taxes and get a free 20 years of not paying to maintain the roads?!?!

(I am pretty aware that road maintenance costs are nowhere close to being covered by gas taxes, and a lot of bike projects are federally funded so everyone pays taxes on them, and yadiyada)

Anyway, I would support a bike tax (in a one-time fee form like OR's, not a yearly registration/licensing way) if it supplemented the federal grants bike projects already get and meant even moar bike lanes/paths/etc. But I think getting safety improvements is rarely about money...

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[djconnel]

Bike infrastructure is much cheaper than auto infrastructure.  The difference in costs to the modes should reflect this difference.  By any reasonable such standard, you need to substantially increase the fees and taxes of autos before a tax on bikes is even worth the effort of collection.

[Faye]

This seems so nuts and so sad in so many ways, and I am shocked that such progressive states that are so bike friendly are on the front lines of it!  Before we even consider any of the other reasons it is crazy, it just does not at all fit in with the American (or any other country I can think of) tax policy.  When you buy a bike or a car (or a used car), you pay sales tax. SALES tax. You do not pay any usage tax because you bought a car.  Highways, bikeways, etc are public goods.  Certain bridges, tunnels, and autoroutes have tolls for usage, although the tolls only pay for a fraction of their general construction and maintenance.  I totally support the idea of tolls, and would be ok with tolls on super fancy awesome designated and special bike infrastructure (that parallels super fancy/special autoroutes or whatever), but charging bike owners a special tax is just totally nuts! Not to mention that it seriously distorts incentives, and that there are extremely valuable positive externalities created by people biking (and not driving or otherwise congesting roads), so if anything you should give bike owners a discount on taxes for biking.  Now living on the East Coast where the weather wreaks havoc on the infrastructure (you can't actually imagine out there in CA, I feel like the worst most potholed roads out there are maybe the baseline/mildest ones here), I find this even more shocking. Me on my 18 pound road bike is the least of the wear and tear on these roads.  I thought OR was supposed to be so bike friendly and progressive- not only is this shocking, but I can't believe the people of OR put up with it! (I don't know details about the tax, but just a gut reaction, sorry for the rant, I know I am preaching to the converted...). I hoep there is some sort of justification for this that I am missing. Gotta study.