WHY ACT NOW?
While a lot of work has been done to set the basics of research in place, much more is required in the form of pilots before a final decision could be made to introduce these new systems. Therefore, we need to begin now if we are to be able to adopt these systems in the long-term future.
IS IT SUSTAINABLE?
MBUF is a more sustainable revenue source than the motor fuel tax because the revenue generated will not shrink with increases in vehicle fuel efficiency.
WHY NOT OTHER OPTIONS?
The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission studied the range of funding options which included: fuel taxes, vehicle fees, leasing, direct spending, tax credits, dedicated sales taxes, direct user fees and indirect user fees and evaluated the transportation policy and revenue generating potential of each option. Their conclusion was that:
“a federal funding system based on more direct forms of “user pay” charges, in the form of a charge for each mile driven (commonly referred to as a vehicle miles traveled or VMT fee system), has emerged as the consensus choice for the future. The Commission cast a wide net, reviewed many funding alternatives, and concluded that indeed the most viable approach to efficiently fund federal investment in surface transportation in the medium to long run will be a user charge system based more directly on miles driven (and potentially on factors such as time of day, type of road, and vehicle weight and fuel economy) rather than indirectly on fuel consumed.”