I read with interest the recent Opinion concerning an additional fee for owners of alternate fuel vehicles (“Is the new alternative fuel vehicle fee fair?”). I’ve owned a Sonata hybrid since 2011 and currently get about 35 miles to the gallon. That’s not as much as originally promised by Hyundai but still a good number, in my humble opinion. I only have 73,000 miles on the car, so that’s not many for the length of time that I’ve owned it. My thought when buying the hybrid was to help the environment by using less gasoline. And, yes, I have had solar panels on my roof since 2007. So, the environment is important to me.
Should I pay an additional tax? At first, I was livid when I learned that this tax includes hybrid cars, not just electric vehicles, which use no gasoline. I do agree that all-electric vehicles should pay the new tax. But, now, after thinking about it for a few days and realizing that the $60 fee would equal the cost of filling up two times, it is easier to say OK. But I really don’t agree that the tax for a hybrid car is fair or necessary. Thanks for reading.
Florence Wiley
Dover
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
