New Mexico motorists could pay more to keep their vehicles registered and on the road under a proposal from the state Transportation Department, part of a plan to boost its revenue amid rising construction costs and projected declines in annual revenue.  Ricky Serna, the New Mexico Transportation Secretary, told lawmakers on the Transportation Revenue and […]

AI Summary:
“New Mexico’s Transportation Department plans to propose a 25-35% increase in vehicle registration fees and a new surcharge for electric vehicles to raise funds for road repairs. This proposal aims to address rising construction costs and declining revenues. Transportation Secretary Ricky Serna highlighted the need for these changes to maintain infrastructure, as fuel efficiency standards are reducing gas tax revenues significantly.”

  • hark@lemmy.world
    1·
    11 months ago

    EVs don’t make up enough of the vehicles on the road for it to be a problem. It doesn’t make sense to get ahead of the problem when the idea is to pay for what you use. Doing it this early, especially when the fee is higher than it is for internal combustion vehicles, is a blatant tactic to dissuade EV adoption. Usually (if not always) it’s a republican proposing these high EV fees, so that should clue you in on the intent.