Mileage tax vs. Gas tax in Oregon

I just read and interesting article about the idea of taxing drivers based on how many miles they drive vs. the amount of fuel they use. Upon reading the title I thought cool, maybe people will use alternative forms of transportation. I then realized that the amount paid by the taxpayer for a "vehicle" tax would remain about the same unless one decides to do alot more driving than they usually do. This may decrease incentive for those who are thinking of buying a newer fuel efficient car if their decision is based upon saving tax at the pump (although they'd still save on the cost of fuel). There is still the altruistic reason for doing it to saving the environment, which I wholeheartedly feel obligated to do and hope that other's do too. You can see the full text of the article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/02/oregon-exploring-idea-of-_n_154902.html.

Dorena Campbell