PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 8, 2025
I’ve owned two fully electric cars since 2011. I wholeheartedly agree that I should be supporting the state highway fund to replace the road use taxes I’d have paid if I were driving a gas car. But $250 per year? A gas vehicle would pay $53, about 21% of the proposed fee. A fair tax would be based on vehicle weight and miles driven to compensate for the damage done to our highways. The heavier the vehicle, and the more it was driven, the higher the fee. To make sure nonresidents pay their share, we can still charge a tax at the pump. That way all residents and nonresidents would pay their fair share, not just EV owners. ~ Daniel Abbott, Portland