The guys over at AutoblogGreen report that the legislature in Washington state is considering taxing cars based on their EPA mileage figures - the lower your MPG, the more you get taxed.
This as a way to encourage people to buy more fuel efficient cars, which would be taxed less.
Fine, so far as it goes … this sort of punitive tax is popular with politicians of certain stripes. Worried about people drinking too much Maker’s Mark? Raise the tax on Kentucky bourbon. Too many people driving around in Plymouths with 383 ram-air induction mills? Raise the tax on gas.
Unfortunately, this runs counter to known Skinnerian models of behavior.
If you want to get people to drive more fuel efficient cars, reward that behavior.
What they should do is raise all the fees X amount for all cars, and then announce that if you own a car that gets more than Y MPG, you get a tax break.
Just a suggestion.
You may also enjoy:
