Taxing fuel efficiency | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I wholeheartedly support the efforts of Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams to clean up our air ("Mayors join chorus seeking cleaner air imperatives from Legislature," Tribune, Feb. 15).

However, I disagree with their proposal to charge vehicle registration fees based on mileage. Instead, fees should be based on a car's much more easily documented Environmental Protection Agency rating of miles per gallon.

It is not only cumbersome and challenging to document mileage, but this could result in owners of highly polluting vehicles paying less than owners of cleaner vehicles.

As Prius owners, my husband and I are the carpooler of choice, so we drive far more miles. Riders are happy to share the cost of gas for our Prius.

In contrast, a driver of a big diesel pickup or SUV may only drive a few miles to work each day but may contribute more to congestion and pollution, especially if the engine never gets a chance to warm up and operate efficiently.

This proposal would penalize those of us who pay more to purchase the most fuel-efficient vehicles (and the solar panels to charge the plug-in Prius).

Jean M. Lown

Logan