The biggest problem driving a small car is people driving vehicles like Range Rovers. They can’t seem to see me because their vision is blocked by iPhones. I can’t understand why the owners of $80000+ vehicles can’t afford a $20 bluetooth device. And then they complain about the tax, which can easily be known before a vehicle is purchased.

And my old Toyota, which has over a quarter million miles, will still be running long after the Range Rover has been sent to the crusher.

How can you ‘put vehicle weight and size’ aside when discussing MPG? The largest factors in determining MPG are … weight and size. Heavier & larger vehicles are less efficient than smaller, lighter vehicles. Less efficient means it takes more fuel to travel the same distance - which means they’re paying more taxes for road maintenance.

Our neighbors to the east(Wisconsin) have a gas tax that is 7 cents and was 12 cents higher than ours for many years before the recent increase. In return Wisconsin’s tab fees are very low. When I lived there I paid less than $50 for a year old car. The positives that come out of it are that instead of Wisconsin residents taking the full brunt of funding transportation, they share paying for highway improvements with those who travel through the state. For Wisconsin the benefits are huge as those from Minnesota and Illinois travel through frequently.

Iowa recently discussed raising their tab fees and then realized it is better to raise the gas tax as the many who travel across the state, especially on 80 and 35, would contribute if they funded highway improvements through the gas tax.

When I moved to Minnesota and watched people battle to the bitter end an increase in the gas tax, it made me wonder why they were not battling the tab increases. I would rather pay a few cents higher in the gas tax in return for having tab fees less than $50 as in Wisconsin. Although now I hear it’s more around $75 as the Wisconsin governor has taken money from tab fees to balance the budget.

That is illogical. People who drive more efficient vehicles are already not paying a fair portion of taxes. New roads and maintenance to existing ones costs everyone in Minnesota. Much of this money is recouped through the gasoline tax. Putting the vehicle weight and size issue aside, like vehicles put the same wear and tear on roads, regardless of their mpg. So with the current system, a person who has a car that gets a higher mpg is already getting a substantial tax break because they are not paying an equal tax for the same miles driven.

The system is clearly flawed and paying $800 for tabs is absolutely ridiculous. But to give an additional tax break to the people who already don’t pay their share is ludicrous.