Reply #8: And how much would your tire tax be? [View All]

[caraher]

The problem is that people buy gas continuously and the added expense of taxes pretty much works itself into a daily budget. But tires last tens of thousands of miles, so you're talking about bundling the taxes normally spread across the gas purchases of tens of thousands of miles of driving into a few purchases. What will people do if a tire costs $500?

We'd see a lot of people driving on bald tires, for one thing. And heaven help you if you get a flat tire when you're on a tight budget.

I also think it might prove regressive in the sense that people who can afford better-quality tires that last longer would wind up paying less tax. Unless you somehow indexed the tax to the anticipated life of the tire.