As more drivers turn to zero-emissions vehicles, which don't have to pay anything at the pump, California's gas tax could soon be a thing of the past. But it would be replaced by something else.
If a tire tax is to generate enough money for that purpose then it’ll significantly increase the cost of tires. As a consequence, lower income earners will not replace their tires when they should, leading to more road accidents.
As a consequence, lower income earners will not replace their tires when they should, leading to more road accidents.
I’m not a California native, but a quick google search shows that California already has vehicle inspection requirements and if they fail, they are not legal to drive on California roads. Tire wear check could be added as one of those things check and fail it, if tires are in need of replacement.
I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that many many people are driving around on tires that are way below minimum acceptable tread wear here in California. Some of them just don’t understand. Some are incompetent. Some are poor.
When I recently got all 4 of my tires replaced I watched the tire techs warn several customers that the tread on their tires was too low and every single one of them said they couldn’t afford new tires right now so rotate them and let them leave.
A tire tax would likely just increase the number of people trying to stretch a tire way past it’s recommended minimum tread depth for safety in order to save money. This would have a negative effect on road safety in the long run.
Not to mention it would also just incentivise people to put on the hardest and longest lasting rubber they can find meaning that in cold or wet conditions they will have significantly worse performance again leading to more accidents.
When I recently got all 4 of my tires replaced I watched the tire techs warn several customers that the tread on their tires was too low and every single one of them said they couldn’t afford new tires right now so rotate them and let them leave.
It’s not just hitting the poor. Like, if it were, you’d only see the poor living paycheck-to-paycheck. But…that’s not actually the situation. The bulk of it is going to be financial literacy, which at least when I went through school was not something covered at all. I think that financial literacy is seriously an area where the US doesn’t do all that well.
The survey found most Americans (58%) are living paycheck to paycheck. Struggling to make ends meet, many are relying on credit cards to cover any shortfalls. Meanwhile, nearly one-quarter of those surveyed said credit card debt also contributed to their financial stress.
Living paycheck to paycheck means consumers need their next paycheck to meet their monthly obligations. How much of a cash cushion they have is hugely important in determining how far consumers are willing to push their paychecks every month — and how stressed out they might be if faced with an unexpected financial shock.
It’s not about being “poor.” And alternatively, not living paycheck to paycheck isn’t about being “rich” — even though most people prefer to define it in those stark terms.
Instead, we find that paycheck-to-paycheck living spans all income levels, including half of high earners (defined as those earning $100,000 or more each year) as of January 2025. Across all income groups, people report similar abilities to pay their monthly bills without a struggle but needing the next paycheck to stay on track. This implies that living paycheck to paycheck isn’t solely about financial hardship or an inability to meet basic needs, but how people choose to manage their monthly income.
Only time my car has been inspected has been a rare repair or during smog tests, and many are exempt.
Actually, yeah, it was 120,000 mile service. New clutch, water pump, timing belt, and synchro ring. Pretty much the only inspection. Hmmm, timing belt is coming up again…
Only time my car has been inspected has been a rare repair or during smog tests, and many are exempt.
So the process and infrastructure for automobile checks is already in place. The only changes needed would be to remove the exemptions, and potentially increase the frequency. Many states have annual inspections already.
I should clarify, it was a free inspection, courtesy of the shop, with the car in for a repair I scheduled, not at the request of government.
We so have “star stations” where some vehicles can be selected for more elaborate smog-related inspections, but that can be a crapshoot.
I’ve had one car pass only if we installed leaky OEM exhaust pipes on, and another fail because it did not have a CARB decal on the catalytic converter. (Fun fact, the cat we were forced to buy and install didn’t have a decal either, but it “passed” after. Yeah, it was a shakedown)
If a tire tax is to generate enough money for that purpose then it’ll significantly increase the cost of tires. As a consequence, lower income earners will not replace their tires when they should, leading to more road accidents.
I’m not a California native, but a quick google search shows that California already has vehicle inspection requirements and if they fail, they are not legal to drive on California roads. Tire wear check could be added as one of those things check and fail it, if tires are in need of replacement.
I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that many many people are driving around on tires that are way below minimum acceptable tread wear here in California. Some of them just don’t understand. Some are incompetent. Some are poor.
When I recently got all 4 of my tires replaced I watched the tire techs warn several customers that the tread on their tires was too low and every single one of them said they couldn’t afford new tires right now so rotate them and let them leave.
A tire tax would likely just increase the number of people trying to stretch a tire way past it’s recommended minimum tread depth for safety in order to save money. This would have a negative effect on road safety in the long run.
Not to mention it would also just incentivise people to put on the hardest and longest lasting rubber they can find meaning that in cold or wet conditions they will have significantly worse performance again leading to more accidents.
The tire tax idea seems like a very bad idea.
It’s not just hitting the poor. Like, if it were, you’d only see the poor living paycheck-to-paycheck. But…that’s not actually the situation. The bulk of it is going to be financial literacy, which at least when I went through school was not something covered at all. I think that financial literacy is seriously an area where the US doesn’t do all that well.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/31/61percent-of-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-even-as-inflation-cools.html
Only time my car has been inspected has been a rare repair or during smog tests, and many are exempt.
Actually, yeah, it was 120,000 mile service. New clutch, water pump, timing belt, and synchro ring. Pretty much the only inspection. Hmmm, timing belt is coming up again…
So the process and infrastructure for automobile checks is already in place. The only changes needed would be to remove the exemptions, and potentially increase the frequency. Many states have annual inspections already.
I should clarify, it was a free inspection, courtesy of the shop, with the car in for a repair I scheduled, not at the request of government.
We so have “star stations” where some vehicles can be selected for more elaborate smog-related inspections, but that can be a crapshoot.
I’ve had one car pass only if we installed leaky OEM exhaust pipes on, and another fail because it did not have a CARB decal on the catalytic converter. (Fun fact, the cat we were forced to buy and install didn’t have a decal either, but it “passed” after. Yeah, it was a shakedown)