States are in a panic to recover gas tax dollars from EVs.

I've written about this issue before. It's the whole idea of the more people drive electric cars, the less gas tax there is. But we still need to maintain our roads and bridges and other Highway infrastructure so what do we do? 

Well, here's the latest wrinkle. 

Pennsylvania is encouraging drivers to switch to electric and they're subsidizing that. But then on the other side, Pennsylvania says, “OK, we've given you money, now you've got to give us money.” Lawmakers in Pennsylvania over the summer voted overwhelmingly to impose fees on people who drive electric vehicles. Pennsylvania wants $250 annually (that's less than Washington) from everybody that drives an electric vehicle. I guess you just build it into your license renewal. 

All across the United States gasoline sales tax revenue has been dropping because of vehicles that are more efficient. Now you add hybrids and electric vehicles, and it slowly is turning into a crisis. 

Some states are looking at ways to expand their revenues by having a tax on deliveries. Others are looking for something as old as road and bridge tolls. 39 states have an annual fee for EV's and sometimes hybrid vehicles. 

New Jersey is requiring owners of EVs to pay their first four years of registration up front. That pencils out to about $1000 just to get the tabs on your new Electric. Car. 

It's interesting that the state of Texas charges more money in a so-called EV tax than a person owning a gas car would pay in gasoline tax. 

I've written about this before, I firmly believe that any replacement of gas tax for electric vehicles should be based on mileage rather than placing an arbitrary annual fee. That seems to be fair all around. 

Some people who are looking in from the outside might say that if you can afford to buy a new electric car, you can afford these extra fees. I would counter by saying if you can afford to buy an $80,000 pickup truck and then add another $20,000 of modifications to it you can afford to pay extra fees as well. 

Nobody wants to pay taxes on anything. But if I have to pay a few cents a mile to drive my electric car and it helps keep the roads in better condition. I'll do it.
States scramble to replace gas tax cash - POLITICO
How Electric Vehicles Could Affect State Transportation Budgets | The Pew Charitable Trusts (pewtrusts.org)
ARTBA Bridge Report