To: Governor Laura Kelly
Fee Hike for Hybrids & Electric Vehicles
Governor Kelly, Please do not penalize the hybrid and electric vehicle drivers of Kansas for the mistakes of the Brownback Tax Experiment. Veto Sen. Sub. for House Bill 2214. Don't penalize Kansas drivers who invest their own money to benefit society. No New Taxes!
Why is this important?
The Kansas Senate has voted to put a $100 a year tax on electric vehicles and a $50 tax on hybrids. This will affect you in the future regardless of what you drive right now. You will one day be driving an electric car.
I bought a hybrid because I wanted to reduce the pollution that is making our children sick. My next car is going to be an electric vehicle if I can still afford to keep it registered in Kansas. Because our former governor raided the highway funds is no reason to punish every low or zero emission car owner in Kansas for his mistake. It is unfair! No New Taxes!
It is also a short-sighted tax, as it will raise only $300,000 next year for the highway fund. Encouraging the use of electric vehicles could potentially save us billions of dollars in healthcare costs.
Air pollution, especially particulates, nitrogen oxides, and ozone are leading factors in lung diseases, cancer, and heart attacks. Electric vehicles reduce air pollution by half, or even more if charged from renewable energy.
The electricity to charge them is produced at power plants and, the large power plants are about twice as efficient as internal combustion engines. Even if charged from a coal fired power plant, the electric vehicles would account for a 50% reduction in air pollution, or 75% if charged with Westar electricity which produces half of its energy from nuclear and wind.
Which is the most fiscally responsible? Raising $300,000 with a tax on electric vehicles, or saving millions of dollars on healthcare costs? And, what value can be put on clean air and a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren?
I bought a hybrid because I wanted to reduce the pollution that is making our children sick. My next car is going to be an electric vehicle if I can still afford to keep it registered in Kansas. Because our former governor raided the highway funds is no reason to punish every low or zero emission car owner in Kansas for his mistake. It is unfair! No New Taxes!
It is also a short-sighted tax, as it will raise only $300,000 next year for the highway fund. Encouraging the use of electric vehicles could potentially save us billions of dollars in healthcare costs.
Air pollution, especially particulates, nitrogen oxides, and ozone are leading factors in lung diseases, cancer, and heart attacks. Electric vehicles reduce air pollution by half, or even more if charged from renewable energy.
The electricity to charge them is produced at power plants and, the large power plants are about twice as efficient as internal combustion engines. Even if charged from a coal fired power plant, the electric vehicles would account for a 50% reduction in air pollution, or 75% if charged with Westar electricity which produces half of its energy from nuclear and wind.
Which is the most fiscally responsible? Raising $300,000 with a tax on electric vehicles, or saving millions of dollars on healthcare costs? And, what value can be put on clean air and a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren?