As more drivers turn to zero-emissions vehicles, which don't have to pay anything at the pump, California's gas tax could soon be a thing of the past. But it would be replaced by something else.
Just spitballing, how about special markings on the tire. There’s already the CARB system in place, that could be extended to marking tires as compliant and sold in California.
I mean, you can’t make it illegal to purchase tires out-of-state. A driver could wear them down out of state, or just have a tire blow; they’re gonna have to be able to get tires out-of-state, and distributors across the country probably aren’t going to maintain special California-specific stocks.
I’m pretty sure that any system like this would have to permit purchasing the tire and then later assessing the tax one way or another, and it seems like that’d create some significant enforcement issues.
Just spitballing, how about special markings on the tire. There’s already the CARB system in place, that could be extended to marking tires as compliant and sold in California.
I mean, you can’t make it illegal to purchase tires out-of-state. A driver could wear them down out of state, or just have a tire blow; they’re gonna have to be able to get tires out-of-state, and distributors across the country probably aren’t going to maintain special California-specific stocks.
I’m pretty sure that any system like this would have to permit purchasing the tire and then later assessing the tax one way or another, and it seems like that’d create some significant enforcement issues.