Peter Sagal of Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! mocks our fine legislature, and our fine governor, for their brilliant (and eminently mockable) $100 hybrid fee:
The problem with hybrid cars is they don’t buy enough gas, so the owners don’t pay enough gas tax…Being green – fine, if you want to go what way, do that. But it doesn’t mean you can shirk your duty to pay taxes on stuff you don’t need to buy anymore. In an interview with CBS, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said, “we have to be practical; if everybody had a hybrid car, there would be no gas tax revenue.” In fact, many on the Virginia Senate Finance Committee thought the measure should be expanded to include fines on people who don’t own cars, because what kind of lame gas-tax dodge is that? [So do you get a tax break if you power your hybrid with coal or just burn wood, like in the gas tank?] Yeah that would be good, I guess, as long as you pollute…The idea is that because of this they have imposed a $100 hybrid fee on every hybrid car, you have to pay 100 bucks to the state, to make up for the gas tax…to punish people...It’s only fair to go after hybrid owners and get that extra money because not only are they saving money on gas, they’re also saving money on dates that they never have to go on…[you can’t be a bad ass in a hybrid]…
Well, if nothing else, at least Virginia Republicans have accomplished this much: making our state a national laughingstock. Congratulations…or, actually, not.
h/t: Pilot on Politics
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