Guy runs car on vegetable oil - State demands he pay motor fuel tax

http://www.herald-
review.com/articles/2007/03/01/news/local_news/1021491.txt

: Thursday, March 1, 2007 8:24 AM CST
State makes big fuss over local couple's vegetable oil car fuel

By HUEY FREEMAN - H&R Staff Writer

(snip)

The agents informed the Wetzels that they were interested in their car, a
1986 Volkswagen Golf, that David Wetzel converted to run primarily from
vegetable oil but also partly on diesel.

Wetzel uses recycled vegetable oil, which he picks up weekly from an
organization that uses it for frying food at its dining facility.

"They told me I am required to have a license and am obligated to pay a
motor fuel tax," David Wetzel recalled. "Mr. May also told me the tax would
be retroactive."

Since the initial visit by the agents on Jan. 4, the Wetzels have been
involved in a struggle with the Illinois Department of Revenue. The couple,
who live on a fixed budget, have been asked to post a $2,500 bond and
threatened with felony charges.

(snip)

Tax on what? The Diesel fuel? Of course. The vegetable oil? Do
people with electric cars have to pay a fuel tax? If they do, it is
in their electric bill.

Aaron Hirshberg

In article .com>,
" > wrote:

> Tax on what? The Diesel fuel? Of course. The vegetable oil? Do
> people with electric cars have to pay a fuel tax? If they do, it is
> in their electric bill.
>
> Aaron Hirshberg

Fuel tax revenue is to pay for your use of the public roads: If you use
the roads, you pay tax on your fuel.

That's why farm equipment and some construction vehicles are usually
eligible for credits. I didn't see the original post, but different
states have different exemptions and credits.

In article >, Umberto Ramirez wrote:
> In article .com>,
> " > wrote:
>
>> Tax on what? The Diesel fuel? Of course. The vegetable oil? Do
>> people with electric cars have to pay a fuel tax? If they do, it is
>> in their electric bill.
>>
>> Aaron Hirshberg
>
> Fuel tax revenue is to pay for your use of the public roads: If you use
> the roads, you pay tax on your fuel.

Read the article, it's classic IL government in action.

IL wants 51 years of tax in advance and compliance with complicated
licensing requirements.

That is what is called market protection through legislation. It's a
clear waste of taxpayer funds to even go after the couple not paying $4 a
month in fuel tax. But the way this works is to make an example of
someone to keep others from doing it.

On Mar 7, 2:44 pm, (Brent P) wrote:
> In article >, Umberto Ramirez wrote:
> > In article .com>,
> > " > wrote:
>
> >> Tax on what? The Diesel fuel? Of course. The vegetable oil? Do
> >> people with electric cars have to pay a fuel tax? If they do, it is
> >> in their electric bill.
>
> >> Aaron Hirshberg
>
> > Fuel tax revenue is to pay for your use of the public roads: If you use
> > the roads, you pay tax on your fuel.
>
> Read the article, it's classic IL government in action.
>
> IL wants 51 years of tax in advance and compliance with complicated
> licensing requirements.
>
> That is what is called market protection through legislation. It's a
> clear waste of taxpayer funds to even go after the couple not paying $4 a
> month in fuel tax. But the way this works is to make an example of
> someone to keep others from doing it.

Government SOP he any American does something that will benefit the
citizens, the government will set it up to the government's
advantage. This incident reminds me of the stories circulating over
the past 30 years or so (probably urban legends) of engineering
students designing cars that would get 100 mpg, only to have the
designs confiscated under the excuse of "would ruin competition" - for
who, Japan?

Ladies and Gentlemen (and I use those words loosely), MLOM said in
rec.autos.driving:

<< reply limited to r.a.d >>

> Government SOP he any American does something that will benefit the
> citizens, the government will set it up to the government's
> advantage. This incident reminds me of the stories circulating over
> the past 30 years or so (probably urban legends) of engineering
> students designing cars that would get 100 mpg, only to have the
> designs confiscated under the excuse of "would ruin competition" - for
> who, Japan?

For Halliburton, Occidental, Shell, Exxon/Mobil and the Gores, Cheneys,
Bushes and their ilk....

--
--
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to
purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve
neither Liberty nor Safety."
--Benjamin Franklin

" > wrote in
oups.com:

> Tax on what? The Diesel fuel? Of course. The vegetable oil? Do
> people with electric cars have to pay a fuel tax? If they do, it is
> in their electric bill.
>
> Aaron Hirshberg
>

There's been talk about how electrics are going to be taxed,for road use
and highway fund reasons.
When some level of electric auto use is reached,they will be taxed somehow.
The Feds are not going to allow them to go untaxed and lose all that
revenue.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

In article om>, MLOM wrote:
> On Mar 7, 2:44 pm, (Brent P) wrote:

>> Read the article, it's classic IL government in action.
>>
>> IL wants 51 years of tax in advance and compliance with complicated
>> licensing requirements.
>>
>> That is what is called market protection through legislation. It's a
>> clear waste of taxpayer funds to even go after the couple not paying $4 a
>> month in fuel tax. But the way this works is to make an example of
>> someone to keep others from doing it.

> Government SOP he any American does something that will benefit the
> citizens, the government will set it up to the government's
> advantage. This incident reminds me of the stories circulating over
> the past 30 years or so (probably urban legends) of engineering
> students designing cars that would get 100 mpg, only to have the
> designs confiscated under the excuse of "would ruin competition" - for
> who, Japan?

Well there are the super milage competitions... Those are cars nobody
would want to use even just for fun... unless someone thinks it's fun
laying down in something made with bicycle parts and managing switching
from full throttle to off (coast) to get that 100+mpg.

I believe most or close to all of the oil companies quashed a technology
stories are just BS, urban myth. The one I think has some merit is that
of the guy who built coral castle in FL. The reason for that is simply
because he demonstrated that he indeed had invented some sort of
technology by building the place.

Jim Yanik > wrote in
:

>>
>
> There's been talk about how electrics are going to be taxed,for road
> use and highway fund reasons.
> When some level of electric auto use is reached,they will be taxed
> somehow. The Feds are not going to allow them to go untaxed and lose
> all that revenue.
>

Maybe - maybe not. If they want to encourage people to buy electric cars,
it might be wise to not tax them. They could make up the lost revenue by
hitting suv owners with a huge property tax.

In article >, Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> "Speeders & Drunk Drivers are MURDERERS" > said in
> rec.autos.driving:
>
>>The agents informed the Wetzels that they were interested in their car, a
>>1986 Volkswagen Golf, that David Wetzel converted to run primarily from
>>vegetable oil but also partly on diesel.
>>
>>Wetzel uses recycled vegetable oil, which he picks up weekly from an
>>organization that uses it for frying food at its dining facility.
>>
>>"They told me I am required to have a license and am obligated to pay a
>>motor fuel tax," David Wetzel recalled. "Mr. May also told me the tax would
>>be retroactive."
>
> Electric and alternative fuel vehicles are precisely why they should
> stop using taxes to pay for roads and switch to tolls. Then it
> wouldn't matter how the car is powered, everyone would still have to
> pay their fair share AND the costs would be readily apparent, not
> buried deeply in the cost of some other goods.

For freight transport I can see it. For private travel it is completely
unreasonable for government to have access to such information, tax
purposes or not. Since passenger car wear and tear on roads designed to
support large trucks is trivial, a less than perfect system that
protects our privacy is fine.