SB 1728 ($200 EV road tax) has a hearing this upcoming Wednesday. This could be the bill on the Senate side that’s used to reconcile with what’s on the House side — That could be HB 2221 (TxETRA’s comprehensive EV bill) or one of the others that just levies an EV road tax. It’s worthwhile for owners represented by the committee members below to call and make their opinions known. Just a reminder that DMV’s study came up with $100 as a “fair” number. Our own polls and analysis show that $60-70 is the right answer, but $100 is what has traction in the legislature and $100 is what we should push for.
If one of the senators listed below represents you, please call them before Wednesday and let them know your views. Following is information from TxETRA:
Senator Schwertner’s EV Fee Bill, SB 1728, (recommending a $200 for vehicles weighing 0-6K lbs & $250 for 6-10K lbs) is scheduled for hearing next Wednesday, April 7, at 8 AM (CT) in the Senate Transportation Committee. We ask that you call the committee members who represent you (below) to support TxETRA’s $100 EV fee. Our proposal is based on the Texas DMV study that recommended this amount as a fair fee to replace the State gas tax paid by gasoline vehicle drivers. You may also reference that the TxETRA survey of 1000 EV Drivers indicated that 77% support paying a fair fee.
Texas Senate Transportation Committee Members:
· Chair: Robert Nichols (R) East Texas (512) 463-0103
· Kel Seliger (R) Amarillo (512) 463-0131
· Carol Alvorado (D) Houston (512) 463-0106
· Cesar Blanco (D) El Paso (512) 463-0129
· Kelly Hancock (R) Dallas Area (512) 463-0109
· “Chuy” Hinajosa (D) McAllen (512) 463-0120
· Lois Kolkhorst (R) Brenham (512) 463-0118
· Charles Perry (R) Lubbock (512) 463-0128
· Royce West (D) Dallas (512) 463-0123
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The anti-EV bias is real. Given the hype that many assign to climate change, you would expect that there would be incentives to drive an EV. And there would be if our government policy were consistent. But it's not. Overcharging EV's for this while the FED's provide a tax credit is just one example where the policy isn't consistent. We EV drivers should pay our fair share, but $200 is not our fair share.
We all have a duty to pay for public facilities. That includes roads used by EV drivers. At the same time, EV drivers and ICE drivers also use the air. But only ICE drivers damage the air and never pay the cost. Texas can add a tax on EV for using the roads only if there is a corresponding tax on ICE for polluting our environment.