The Swamp’s Got Another Bright Idea, And It Could End Up Hosing Every American Who Drives

Americans already pay plenty to own a car. They pay sales taxes when they buy one. They pay gas taxes every time they fill up. They pay tolls, insurance premiums, registration fees, inspection fees, and in many states, yearly property taxes simply for the privilege of owning a vehicle.

Now Congress wants to add another bill to the pile: a new federal annual vehicle registration fee.

Some in Congress are calling it an “EV fee” aimed at electric and hybrid vehicles. Americans should not assume it will stop there.

We have seen this movie before.

In 1997, Virginians revolted against one of America’s most despised taxes: the local personal property tax on cars. Families bought a vehicle, then got taxed on it every year. The tax became a symbol of everything people disliked about government: recurring, unavoidable and disconnected from ability to pay.

One of us, Jim Gilmore, ran for governor promising to phase it out. Political experts dismissed the idea. Editorial boards mocked it. The establishment insisted repeal was impossible.

The voters disagreed.

Virginians understood something politicians often forget: a car is not a luxury for most Americans. It is how people get to work, take their children to school and manage daily life. Taxing mobility is taxing opportunity itself.

After taking office, Gov. Gilmore signed legislation beginning the phaseout of Virginia’s car tax. The effort proved enormously popular. During the 2001 economic downturn, however, the state legislature paused the phaseout and imposed a dishonest formula that permanently capped the relief in dollar terms.