CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A new state law requiring owners of electric cars to pay a fee has an unintended loophole that one lawmaker says should be fixed.
The Legislature passed a law earlier this year that made Wyoming one of eight states that place a special fee on “green vehicles.” The new tax, which went into effect July 1, requires owners of plug-in electric vehicles to buy a $50 decal.
Lawmakers, at the time, said they intended it to be an annual fee.
But a state attorney general’s office review of the new statute couldn’t find any language that requires the decal to be purchased each year.
Rep. Mike Madden, R-Buffalo, is the co-chairman of the Joint Revenue Interim Committee, which sponsored the alternative fuel tax bill during the past session.
He told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (https://bit.ly/1KVB016 ) that he hopes the Legislature will be able to correct the issue during next year’s budget session.
Madden said the $50 decal is not expected or intended to be a significant revenue generator for the state.
But he said it’s a matter of fairness, since fuel tax revenues help pay for the state’s road system.
“It’s a user tax. Those who use the roads should pay something,” he said. “It’s really just a placeholder to send a signal to citizens that we are treating everyone who uses the road fairly.”
But some proponents of electric cars say Wyoming and other states should be incentivizing their use, rather than adding fees.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 37 states have incentives for buying hybrid or plug-in electric vehicles. These benefits include financial incentives, vehicle inspection or emission test exemptions, parking incentives and utility rate reductions.
Wyoming, which offers none of these, was graded an “F’’ by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project in its latest report on state policies that promote electric vehicles.
Will Toor, director of transportation programs for the group, said there are several economic and environmental benefits for states if more motorists drove electric vehicles.
“Even in states that are heavily invested in coal, such as Wyoming, there are still some significant air quality benefits, particularly in the more concentrated population centers,” he said.
Toor said he agrees that electric vehicle owners should pay their fair share to maintain the roads.
Madden said he doesn’t believe the state should be in the business of encouraging one fuel source over another.
“I’m not a big believer in engineering the outcome of market events by using tax policies,” he said.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com
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