Flat Vehicle Tax
Dear Editor: I think the flat tax per vehicle is not going to work. Here’s why. Road taxes have to be graduated to the weight and characteristics of the vehicle.
If you tax a Prius or a Subaru at the same rate as a truck, the owner of the car is being penalized for damage he/she is not doing, and the owner of the truck is getting off scot-free. A useful city road tax per vehicle would be graduated by gross weight. It also would tax studded tires, which I understand are one of the culprits in our road damage. The tax would be stiff enough to induce vehicle owners to seek tax reductions for cooperative behavior, such as using tires and axles that distribute weight, or that have rubber characteristics that eliminate studs, or otherwise are friendly to the road surface.
Much of our road damage is caused by heavy trucks; just think of the depressed grooves that develop where rubber meets the road. A graduated tax penalizing weight would change hauling habits. More, lighter trips, drop axles and better tires would come into use.
Studs could simply be outlawed.
It probably is better to allow people to make smart tax choices, rather than to make them resent direct control. The flat rate car tax is an example of government flexing its power, without getting the desired result.
The flat rate car tax is over-simplified. It punishes car owners, without inducing changes that will reduce or eliminate road damage. People won’t get rid of their vehicles. We need to change the way we use our vehicles.
Thanks for thinking about this.
John Welsh, Sitka
Sealaska4
Dear Editor: We, the Sealaska4, thank all of you who helped us elect one of our slate of candidates, Ross Soboleff, to the Sealaska board of directors. We appreciate those of you who spoke to us about the issues of our corporation and our future. We particularly thank our proxyholders and the individual volunteers who spent so much of your time. Thank you to the ANB and ANS leadership for helping define our campaign. We are especially grateful for the prayers of support.
This election is a tipping point for our corporation. We have defined our issues and ensuring that the corporation does not proceed without oversight or shareholder/owner participation. No longer will this corporation be run by a few for the benefit of a few. The Sealaska4 is gearing up for next year’s election and we anticipate a better campaign. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, there’s much to be done. Please continue to discuss with us your concerns and share with us your ideas for a better future for our shareholder/owners. We plan to be in direct contact with the new management and leadership of Sealaska, and intend to be a part of the turnaround to profitability. This will be our contribution to the company going forward.
The Sealaska4,
Margaret Nelson, Ross Soboleff, Carlton Smith, Karen Taug
