Bufordleaf
Well-known member
This bill was not entered at the last hour as some have suggested. In fact it was publicly announced before the legislative session even started and there was plenty of public news and debate in the local fish wrapper and on talk radio. If you missed that sorry, but this was not sneaky. As for the alleged comments made by the sponsor of the bill I would fact check that yourself before you get upset as some of the statements put forth here have not been factual at all.
Regarding the $200 annual fee, it applies to all alternative fueled vehicles in Georgia not just EVs. There are CNG and soon to be Hydrogen as well as homemade kit vehicles that run on something other than gas or diesel. The point of this tax is to collect roughly the same amount of annual user fee that the average Georgia ICE driver pays in motor fuel tax. Like it or not, we EV drivers are using the roads just as much as ICE drivers and IMO it is only fair that we pay for the infrastructure as well. I don't want to pay the $200 annual fee or any other tax, but again it seems fair because I am using the roads. Also, please note that commercial AFVs will pay $400 per year, while individual owners will pay $200 per year. This recognizes that commercial vehicles generally drive more miles and thus use the infrastructure more. Similarly, large commercial trucks (aka big rigs) pay a much higher rate of motor fuel tax than individual car owners.
While I will miss the $5k tax credit I get it, the state was seeing a lot of revenue go away and needed to change it. This also has been in the news for over a year which is why I decided to lease my Leaf in December of last year before they had a chance to repeal the credit. Also of note is that in Georgia, like many states, EV drivers can drive in the HOV lanes as a single occupant and can drive for FREE in the HOT toll lanes on I-85. There are more toll lanes under construction on I-75 south of and north of Atlanta, and when completed these will be of added benefit to those of us who drive EVs. My brother-in-law pays $200 per month on the I-85 toll lanes for his daily commute, so this can be a substantial benefit.
Finally, as at least one other member has posted, Georgia needed to do something to shore up transportation infrastructure spending and the bill that passed this year is a good starting point. Not perfect, not by a long shot, but a good starting point. If you like driving on safe, quality built roads and bridges then you have to enable the state to collect enough tax revenue to provide for that. Three years ago the state legislature put out a referendum to the public on a 1 penny sales tax for infrastructure and all but 2 districts in Georgia overwhelmingly voted it down. That was a shame as it would have raised far more revenue for transportation improvements than this year's bill, but it is what it is.
Regarding the $200 annual fee, it applies to all alternative fueled vehicles in Georgia not just EVs. There are CNG and soon to be Hydrogen as well as homemade kit vehicles that run on something other than gas or diesel. The point of this tax is to collect roughly the same amount of annual user fee that the average Georgia ICE driver pays in motor fuel tax. Like it or not, we EV drivers are using the roads just as much as ICE drivers and IMO it is only fair that we pay for the infrastructure as well. I don't want to pay the $200 annual fee or any other tax, but again it seems fair because I am using the roads. Also, please note that commercial AFVs will pay $400 per year, while individual owners will pay $200 per year. This recognizes that commercial vehicles generally drive more miles and thus use the infrastructure more. Similarly, large commercial trucks (aka big rigs) pay a much higher rate of motor fuel tax than individual car owners.
While I will miss the $5k tax credit I get it, the state was seeing a lot of revenue go away and needed to change it. This also has been in the news for over a year which is why I decided to lease my Leaf in December of last year before they had a chance to repeal the credit. Also of note is that in Georgia, like many states, EV drivers can drive in the HOV lanes as a single occupant and can drive for FREE in the HOT toll lanes on I-85. There are more toll lanes under construction on I-75 south of and north of Atlanta, and when completed these will be of added benefit to those of us who drive EVs. My brother-in-law pays $200 per month on the I-85 toll lanes for his daily commute, so this can be a substantial benefit.
Finally, as at least one other member has posted, Georgia needed to do something to shore up transportation infrastructure spending and the bill that passed this year is a good starting point. Not perfect, not by a long shot, but a good starting point. If you like driving on safe, quality built roads and bridges then you have to enable the state to collect enough tax revenue to provide for that. Three years ago the state legislature put out a referendum to the public on a 1 penny sales tax for infrastructure and all but 2 districts in Georgia overwhelmingly voted it down. That was a shame as it would have raised far more revenue for transportation improvements than this year's bill, but it is what it is.
