Foot-Power Avoids Tax
October 22, 2009 • By Ford Prior, Contributing Writer
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HARRISONBURG, Va. — Ben Wyse rides his bike up to 14 miles a day. However, what makes him special is not the miles he pedals, it’s his motivation behind it.
He rides because his next-best alternative — the car — comes with a self-imposed gas tax. He and eight other members of Harrisonburg’s Voluntary Gas Tax organization tax themselves, usually paying at least 50 cents a gallon, although they can pay whatever they choose since the tax is voluntary.
It started at the dinner table at a group member’s house on College Avenue in 2000, where the group meets regularly to discuss political and world issues.
“We’d often comment at the table that we’re really not paying nearly enough for our gasoline here in the U.S.” founding member Earl Martin said. When the group realized how much gasoline truly cost, they decided the money they were paying was not enough.
“[Without the tax] We’re not paying the cost of the environment. We’re not paying the cost of foreign wars fought to make sure that oil keeps coming to the U.S. We’re not paying for the costs of all the fatalities on the highways,” said Martin, a member, who paid $210 in gas taxes over the last six months.
Members of the group bring their gas receipts from the previous six months to the meetings they hold twice a year. They record the total gallons of gas used and calculate their tax bills.
Since 2000, the group’s tax has generated “at least $15,000.” The last biannual period, it collectively raised $1,748. The money is kept in a bank account shared by all participants, before they decide to which organization they will donate the funds.
“Over the years we’ve sent [the] money to lots of different places,” Martin said, “but we try to send it to places that would encourage good transportation and less use of fossil fuels.”
Such donation targets include studies in Davis, Calif on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, bikes for HIV/AIDS caregivers in East Africa and funds for a bike mechanic school for young people in inner city Boston.
Besides funding charities, Wyse sees local motivation behind the gas tax.
“At the local level, that’s less traffic congestion, that’s better air quality, and it fosters a sense of community,” he said.
Wyse has recorded 35,000 bike miles since June 2003, and considers the riding a relief to his budget.
“AAA says it costs between 25 and 35 cents a mile to own and operate a current year model car,” he said.
“You take 35,000 miles times a quarter? That’s a lot of money,” he said.
Forty percent of car trips are within two miles of home, according to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, a distance that appears short for Wyse.
“I bet the average student doesn’t go but two miles for class,” Wyse said. “It’s just not that far.”
To some, however, a gas tax only works on the voluntary level. A nationwide tax on gas would destroy many peoples’ budgets, says junior history major Chris Fedyschyn.
“Gas isn’t a luxury item for a lot of people. It’s not like they’re just wasting [it],” Fedyschyn said. “Why make life harder for people by making a necessary thing more expensive?”
Wyse believes that the tax encourages an already-fun activity: biking.
“How often is there an opportunity to promote something that’s enjoyable that has so many positive benefits?” Wyse said.
Contact Ford Prior at priorww@jmu.edu
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