New bill could tax drivers by the odometer reading

JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - Drivers in Arkansas could be seeing a big change if House Bill 1716 passes the Arkansas legislature.

A bill to tax Arkansas drivers per mile they drive passed committees and now moves to the House.

For drivers who drive to work every day or drive anywhere, the state may begin to look at your mileage.

House Bill 1716 would allow the state highway commission to begin a pilot program to tax drivers based on how many miles they drive. It would charge participants 1.5 cents per mile on Arkansas roads.

Drivers in Region 8 are split on the issue. Some see it as a good way to increase revenue for highway department, but others say it imposes on a driver's privacy and say it is just outrageous.

"No, I don't agree. Not at all," one driver said. "They have taxed us to death."

"You have to make a living," driver Norbert Johnson said. "You can't tax somebody for driving to work or driving to do fun events. It's not the government's right to do that."

The bill passed the House Public Transportation Committee and moves to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

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