Saxon, what you are forgetting is EVERYBODY uses the roads, not just the people with cars. At least in an industrialized, urban soceity that is true. Everybody that goes to the local market and buys produce that was grown on the other side of the continent uses the roads. The cost of transportation of goods and services is one of the largest parts of the end retail cost of everything we buy. If you only lay the burden of the road tax on the individuals that use the roads, be it private citizens or trucking companies, you raise the cost that they must charge you to buy the stuff they produce and ship.
Roads are infrastructure. They are one of the fundamental reasons for governments to exsist, beside national defense and protection of personal liberty. A road tax that is paid by vehicle would be paramount to only charging those that live on the borders with the defense budget.
EDIT: Sorry, this maybe isn't the place for this post. If someone wants to start a OT road tax thread I can move this there.
Geo
[ August 05, 2002, 17:50: Message edited by: geoschmo ]