The Car Tax
A tax is something that one is compelled to pay to be able to live a problem free life. We pay taxes to the government who spend it on schools, roads and public safety. Sometimes we resist with tea parties to the extra dollar they they raise in taxes. Once that paycheck hits our banks after a methodical deduction of taxes, we pay our rent or mortgage on our home that puts a roof over our heads and protects us from elements. We pay for utilities and for basic groceries to feed us and keep us nourished. These are means of existence. We absolutely can not survive without food and shelter. These are necessities.
In order to pay for these basic necessities, we have devised a system of compensation for work or service that creates a product that other people want to buy. We go to work everyday, get paid, pay our taxes and so on. Sometimes, we have money left over that we try to save for a rainy day or retirement, take a vacation, sponsor our hobbies or just plain consumerism. These are indulgences.
A car is something we buy to commute in a safe and protected way, though the safety of commuting in a car is questionable. When you are made to buy a car due to the design of the city’s infrastructure, the car becomes a necessity. It is not a cheap necessity either. A brand new car kept for 10 years with insurance and gas will cost over $200 a month, usually more than utilities to power your home. That is $2,400 a year. Most people do not keep their car for 10 years. For the first five years, that car costs over $500 a month or $6,000 a year. This car puts us in a random environment of traffic, made random by the presence of other drivers. Random = increased risk of an accident.
Mass transit, though costs extra tax revenue, and in turn the payment of extra taxes take the human element out of the commuting equation resulting in a safer method of commuting. The absence of mass transit or an effective mass transit will compel people to have to spend on a car. Such is the case with the City of Jacksonville. They provide an infrequent bus service with insufficient routes to conquer the vase expanse of the city. They also insult us with a skyway system that starts at a parking lot in the middle of nowhere and takes you to a convention center with ample on site parking, a college and a few other businesses. It does not even take you to the sports arenas.
Therefore, the citizens of Jacksonville FL, mostly republican, pay the car tax because it is a necessity, a need, not a want any more. No one protests at a tea party.
The struggling citizen who work hard to make a living are left behind to fend for themselves. They have to chose between a budget for either gas, car payments and insurance or quality food to feed their children. They choose the high-fructose corn syrup laden preservative infused cheap foods. They would like to pay premium for food not car but they don’t have a choice. They are not given a choice. Who cares about them anyway?
Some people understand the severity of this issue and protest on a very popular website namely metrojacksonville.com. I wish to protest by not owning a car. I moved recently to a walkable part of the city that put me out of bicycling range to work but I did not buy a car. If I was to pay a tax and had the choice to decide how much to pay I will try to pay the least. I wanted my mode of transportation to be reliable and requiring low maintenance. I bought the cheapest motorcycle in the market for $3,000. The insurance on that cycle is $20 a month. It gives me about 70 miles per gallon. The monthly cost on the motorcycle is $100, including depreciation. This is my protest to the city. This is my protest against the car tax.
This blog is closed.
Comments are closed. Please reply to @abhishek_m to comment on this post.
Subscribe to my universal feed by clicking here.
February 28th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
Nice writeup.
What is outside bicycling range?
I’d love to see more safe bicycle lanes and paths through the city. These should be separated from the roads by at least a curb if the speed limit is over 25 or 35. All roads should have these, so that it actually becomes possible to get around in the city without motorized vehicle. It’s absurd that the Buckman and Fuller Warren bridges do not even have a cycling/walking part.
Bicycle routes that are completely away from motorized traffic would be even better. Not just for recreation, but for transportation. No need to remove railroad tracks. We might need those in the future. Why not take an 8 feet wide area along the railroad tracks to make bicycle routes? Can’t the city exercise some right of way to do that?
In my eyes, that would be a better purpose for the millions of dollars that will be spent on replacing the rotting wood on the south bank of the riverwalk with new wood that will soon be rotting again.
We’re out of oil, so gas prices will continue to rise. There will come a point where we can not continue to drive as much as we do now. It would be nice to have some infrastructure in place by then to accomodate the more sustainable lifestyle that high oil prices will eventually force on us anyway.
In Florida it’s inexpensive to have motorcycles. I don’t believe insurance is even required.
March 1st, 2010 at 8:49 am
I have a dog and I live by myself. Riding my bicycle to work (13 miles) and back would consume a total round-trip transit time of a little under 3 hours each day. That coupled with a 9 hour work day would mean that my dog does not get to go out to dispense bodily fluids for at least 12 hours. That is a lot to hold in and not good for her health. Some days, I have to stay back at work for a few extra hours too.
The motorcycle has a 25 minute transit time each way. It works in favor for her.
I have ridden from Riverside to Southside (Town Center area). It is a fun route and good riding for the most part.
I would like to see some funds diverted to building more urban bicycling trails that help everyday people to get to work and school. We (Bikejax) are working to achieve that. It is a slow progress.
Insurance is not required on a motorcycle in Florida. You have to carry some sort of a waiver. I did not look into it much. The insurance was so cheap and I am a beginner. It adds an additional peace of mind.