Gil Hersch Writes Op-Ed on Highway Use Fee

Gil Hersch, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and PPE Core Faculty member, wrote an op-ed for the Richmond Times-Dispatch titled “Commentary: To be fair, Virginia should reimburse gas guzzlers.”

Here is a brief excerpt of the post: Virginia charges drivers of fuel-efficient cars a highway use fee (HUF) because they are too efficient. But on that reasoning Virginia should also reimburse those driving gas guzzlers because they are not efficient enough. It is only fair.

Virginia drivers of fuel-efficient cars are required to “do their fair share” to help maintain Virginia roads through a highway use fee that is paid when they renew their vehicle registration. This fee was approved by the General Assembly in 2020 and applies to all vehicles that get more than 25 miles per gallon. This fee is unreasonable and should be canceled. The reasoning behind the fee is that fuel-efficient cars need less gas to drive the same distance of road than less fuel-efficient cars do. Because roads are partially maintained through a tax per gallon charged at the fuel pump, those driving fuel-efficient cars end up paying less of the tax that goes towards maintaining our Virginia roads relative to the miles they drive…