I sent this email to my house rep. Other EV owners are free to copy and paste this and change wording as needed. Let’s get this regressive BS changed.
I recently purchased an EV and was required to pay an ‘Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fee’ upon renewing my vehicle registration. In this pivotal moment where domestically-manufactured EVs and batteries represent a huge opportunity for Georgia in terms of jobs and economic impact, it is extremely counterproductive to impose an additional fee on EV owners. As Kia, Hyundai, and Rivian bring vital jobs and opportunity to the state through EV manufacturing, Georgia is sending the wrong message to EV owners that they are not welcome or appreciated for their personal financial investment in this budding technology. I understand that the purpose of this fee is to fund road repairs due to the weight of EVs and the fact that EV owners do not pay a tax on gasoline. However, we pay taxes on electricity when we charge at our homes as well as when we utilize public chargers. If the weight of EVs is the primary concern, perhaps all vehicles regardless of fuel type should pay an annual fee if they gross over a certain weight. It is doubly regressive to impose the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Fee on EV owners when the Georgia gas tax has been repealed for the majority of 2023.
What if I only drive a 1K or 2K miles per a year. Does that mean I should have to pay taxes equivalent to 20,000 miles?
Are you replying to me? I literally wrote, “I’d prefer something more equitable (mileage based) rather than a flat fee” …
The government isn’t going to track exactly how much people drive in order to tax them equitably and precisely. There’s no system in place for that, and it would be time and labor intensive. Yes, I know some people deduct work mileage but that’s a different ballgame. States don’t want to deal with this stuff. Flat taxes collect revenue efficiently.
It sucks, but we’re just going to have to pay it. Taxes aren’t fair and as we all know, other cars put plenty of wear on the road and also cause a lot of environmental problems, but it is what it is.
Actually normally taxes are pretty fair. You buy a more expensive car you pay more taxes.