Without funding for medium and heavy duty truck rebates, charging stations, fair access to electric vehicles, or rebates for electric bikes, Oregon will fall short of its climate and public health commitments and this transportation package won’t be a step forward on climate action. Investments in these programs are essential for us to meet our community and transportation needs, reduce toxic air pollution, and meet our climate goals.
Additionally, our communities need multi-use paths for those who walk or bike, so they can safely access off-street pathways to get where they need to go, which is exactly what Oregon Community Paths do. The transportation package’s failure to address the community paths funding crisis puts lives, safety, and access at risk, especially in rural communities where off-street paths are often the only safe alternative to state highways.
Here’s the fix: a 4% tax on luxury vehicles over $75,000 that will pay for transportation electrification and fund Oregon Community Paths. This is a smart and fair way to fill the gaps we’ve been advocating for within the transportation package. This modest surcharge on the state’s most expensive cars would mean that the middle-class has no hit to their wallets while we fulfill our state priorities and commitments, which were overlooked by lawmakers in the current bill. This change to the transportation package will enable needed clean vehicle investments to reduce emissions, protect public health, and support Oregon jobs.
However, this solution is not a sure thing and there are some legislators who are trying to reduce funding that is already in the bill for safety programs, rail, and transit investments. Will you tell your legislator to support taxing luxury cars to fund these needed programs and to preserve the safety, rail, and transit investments already in the bill?
