Gas-guzzler tax gets another shot
When word got out earlier this year that Brookline was considering an "SUV tax," news cameras descended on local gas stations to get colorful sound bites from SUV drivers opposed to the idea.
The Boston Globe ran an online headline, "Brookline, always the trendsetter, weighs SUV tax."
But the pursuit of the tax disincentive - and possibly incentive - for future car buyers hasn't run out of gas, as a committee charged with drafting statewide legislation awaits Town Meeting approval next month before taking the idea to Beacon Hill.
Unlike the original proposal, which had planned to issue a blanket doubling of excise taxes on all sports utility vehicles purchased in Brookline, the draft coming before Town Meeting on Nov. 13 is more complex.
Across the state, anyone who buys a fuel-efficient car would be rewarded, while consumers who purchase fuel-inefficient vehicles would be punished, according to the proposal.
The concept is called "feebates," said article proponent Don Weitzman, chairman of the Committee on Clean Cars, which was formed after Town Meeting rejected the first incarnation of an "SUV tax" in May.
The idea is to combine a tax incentive, or rebate, with a tax disincentive, or fee.
"We really wanted to create something that was politically viable," said Weitzman, a Precinct 12 Town Meeting member and former selectman.
If the state adopted the draft legislation, it would apply to all 2011 model year vehicles purchased after July 1, 2010.
The fee or rebate would be factored into the sale price after all taxes except sales tax. Dealers would be required to display the fee or rebate on the vehicle, receipt and sales contract or lease agreement.
According to the draft, the state would create "a linear scale" that would rate vehicles on their greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposal defines "greenhouse gases" as carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, oxides of nitrogen, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and "any other gases that the [Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs] determines contributes significantly to global warming."
The scale would go as high as 10 percent, meaning owners of some vehicles could be charged a 10 percent fee or receive a 10 percent rebate.
A chart committee members drafted, based on miles per gallon estimates, could have Jeep Grand Cherokee owners coughing up a 10 percent fee on their sale price while Toyota Prius owners enjoy a 10 percent rebate.
Also factored into the plan would be "zero band" vehicles, or those whose fuel efficiency earns them neither a rebate nor surcharge.
Committee members have proposed including vehicles that range from 24 to 27 miles per gallon, including three SUVs: Subaru Outback, Ford Escape and Kia Sportage.
Weitzman said seven bills with a similar spirit are before the state Legislature, but this would be the only one to include tax disincentives. All others offered rebates using state funding.
"There's a bit of a fear to charge fees for bad behavior," he said. "But part of the attractiveness of this is it doesn't charge the state money."
Advocates of the proposal have argued that fuel-inefficient vehicles damage not only the environment, but also roads. Though in May, many felt the original proposal was hastily drafted and unlikely to pass through the Legislature.
"This is something that really makes a tangible difference over a symbolic [statement]," said Selectwoman Jesse Mermell.
Selectman Robert Allen, who had been an outspoken opponent of the original excise tax doubling, acknowledged that he hadn't yet read the full article.
"To me, the devil's always in the details," Allen said. "But overall, the goals behind this are important."
Jessica Scarpati of The Brookline (Mass.) TAB can be reached at jscarpat@cnc.com.