Stupid to think the oil company will bite that tax, completely stupid. Oil company's care about one thing and one thing only, profits.

For anyone that hasn't heard my rant about my proposed 'Road Hog Fee' here it goes.

If you drive a vehicle that takes up more than a certain amount of volume or is over a certain weight then you should have to pay extra when you insure that vehicle. That money would go directly into an account of your provinces choosing. In manitoba's case, i would say highway maintenance. Say you drive a Ford Expedition (one of the biggest vehicles i've ever seen) then you should have to pay... let's say $300 extra a year for taking up so much more space AND causing more road wear.

The same would go on the flip side, if you drive a vehicle UNDER x or y then you would get a discount of $150. anything in the middle, things would remain unchanged.

To be exempt from this fee, your vehicle must be registered for business use OR you have a family of 4 or more.

Bigger vehicles take up more road and heavier vehicles cause more damage to the road. If you are a single person with no kids, and you just like driving a big vehicle, you should have to pay a bit extra for not only taking up more space and doing damage, but also putting the rest of us at risk.
 

I like it! In my dream, we return to travelling and shipping goods by train. Safer and definitely more romantic.
 

Ya, I agree with Anti-whatever on this one. Pay-per-use is always fair.

Trains are good, but not in their current form. Canada needs a high-speed bullet train that traces the #1 highway. Trains are the way of the future.

If you you could cross the country in a day on a train, air travel would be reduced. Shipping costs for all kinds of things could be much more efficient as well.
 

hold on though, I mean, the government already pockets 44% of the price of gas, why can't they find money in that to pay for roads and environmental programs? Like hell that $300 would go to anything other than the pockets of some politician!
 

I think what Anti is suggesting isn't any new tax, just a redistribution of taxes so that there's an incentive for individuals to drive smaller, safer, more efficient vehicles; presumably while exempting certain commercial uses where small vehicles just aren't viable.
 

well, I dunno. So does that mean that if everybody drives a small car, the government gets loses money? Cuz that would be sweet ;) I don't know if they'd go for that though
 

Just because the government doesn't do it doesn't mean it's not a good idea. That is PAINFULLY obvious.

'Like hell that $300 would go to anything other than the pockets of some politician!'

Maybe your right, maybe your wrong. old one way to find out. If Gary Doer starts driving a fleet of different colored hummers around then you'll know he likes paying himself $300/per vehicle/per year.
 

ummm 'old' should read 'only'. maybe talking to rocketman just had me thinking old. zing!
 

hahahaha:) touche! you know, i'm not sold smaller cars are safer. I mean, obviously they would be if everybody else had a small car too, but it's also obvious that if everybody drove a hummer we'd be safer overall as well. The government should first get better at fixing the roads before any other options are considered
 

what about the economic impact of slowing down traffic? Streets with parked cars are not wide enough for 3 hummers across. One car has to quickly duck in behind a parked car to avoid getting crushed. In turn, backing up traffic.

3 small cars can easily fit across these lanes without having to stop but continue merrily on their way.

Fender benders, pedestrian/cyclist accidents would certainly be on the rise if everyone drove something as big as a Lincoln Navigator. But who cares, you're save as a button in your navigator.
 

Safe as a button? WTF kinda button is safe?!
 

i don't know, and i don't know how to spell either. save, safe, old, only.

buttons are about the only things that are safe!