Newly Proposed Fees for Electric Car Owners

Obviously, one of the top reasons for purchasing and driving an electric car is to save money on gasoline. However, some have pointed out that because drivers of electric vehicles do not purchase gasoline, they also avoid the gasoline tax that goes toward covering the state’s road construction and maintenance.

In Oregon, the state’s Road User Fee Task Force recommended a piece of tax legislation to force electric car owners to pay the road maintenance and construction taxes. Just recently, House Bill 2328 was put before the Oregon Legislature. This bill suggests that electric car owners pay a vehicle usage charge, starting with both fully electric and gas-electric hybrids in the model year 2014.

Even though just mentioning this idea is enough to make electric car owners and supporters upset, many find House Bill 2328 to be a fairly reasonable proposition. Taking a look into the bill, the so called “vehicle usage charges” are not at all outrageous and still leave room for savings over driving a gasoline powered vehicle by far. With only a 0.6 cent per mile tax, you could go ten thousand miles for just a bit over $50 in fees.

Still, one part of this concept that still needs major development is how mileage will be tracked. While the idea of using GPS technology to track drivers’ mileage has been kicked around, most Americans are opposed to this idea, and understandably so. Though mileage could be checked yearly by the state instead of remotely through GPS, the question that then arises is what to do about miles not driven in the state of Oregon. If the state simply left it to drivers to record the miles they drove outside of the state, giving false mileage information to avoid the taxes would be too easy.

Though House Bill 2328 may not be the answer to taxing electric vehicles, it is definite proof that the popularity of electric vehicles is gaining momentum and provisions must be taken to adapt to a growing amount of electric and gas-electric hybrids. It will be interesting to see what legislative action lies in the future for electric car owners.

If you found this article informative, read more on alternative energy here.

FTC Declares Further Extension On ‘Red Flags’ Rule To November 1st

To aid small businesses and other entities, the Federal Trade Commission agents will enhance its efforts to educate them about compliance with the “Red Flags” Rule and ease compliance by supplying additional resources and guidance to clarify whether businesses are covered by the Rule and what they must do to comply. To give creditors and financial institutions added time to review this guidance and develop and implement written Identity Theft Prevention Programs, the FTC will further delay enforcement of the Rule until November 1, 2009.

The Red Flags Rule is an anti-fraud regulation, pressing creditors and financial institutions with covered accounts to implement programs to identify, detect, and respond to the warning signs, or red flags, that could reveal identity theft. FACTAs definition of creditor includes any person that regularly extends or renews credit ” or arranges for others to do so ” and includes all entities that repeatedly permit deferred payments for goods or services.

The FTCs Red Flags Web site, www.ftc.gov/redflagsrule, offers resources to help entities determine if they are covered and, if they are, how to conform with the Rule. It includes an online compliance template that enables companies to design their own Identity Theft Prevention Program through an easy-to-do form, as well as articles directed to specific businesses and industries, guidance manuals, and Frequently Asked Questions to help companies navigate the Rule.

Although many covered entities have already grown and implemented appropriate, risk-based programs, some ” particularly small businesses and entities with a low risk of identity theft ” remain uncertain about their obligations. Among other things, Commission staff will create a special link for small and low-risk entities on the Red Flags Rule Web site with materials that provide guidance and direction regarding the Rule.

The Commission has already posted FAQs that address how the FTC intends to enforce the Rule and other topics ” www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/redflagsrule/faqs.shtm. The enforcement FAQ states that Commission staff would be unlikely to recommend bringing a law enforcement action if entities know their customers or clients individually, or if they perform services in or around their customers homes, or if they operate in sectors where identity theft is rare and they have not themselves been the target of identity theft.

Todays announcement that the Commission will delay enforcement of the Rule until November 1, 2009, does not affect other federal agencies enforcement of the original November 1, 2008, compliance deadline for institutions subject to their oversight.

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Irish Gang Branches Out Into Bill Collection

And you thought your bill collector was bad. In recent news it has been revealed that a gangland boss in Ireland has taken on a new career - debt collection. This criminal mastermind has been associated with twelve deaths; a threat even more serious than a collections letter.

Usually, legitimate creditors who aren’t criminals will hire out third party bill collectors to retrieve debts. Collection agencies work on commission, where they receive a portion of the amount of money that they collect. Frequently collection companies will purchase debt from the creditors so that they can collect the whole sum of money owed.

The Irish thugs seemed to have borrowed inspiration from this practice, but the similarities end there. The boss of the notorious Irish gang has established his own collection agency, purchasing debt and using his reputation to bully his way into gathering the money owed. The unfortunate debtors are drug users who are unable to repay dealers.

Lawful collection agencies will generally start with a gentle “reminder letter.” If the debtor is hostile or evasive, the letters will become sterner. Phone calls are used as well to remind those who owe money to pay up. If these tactics fail, the agency has the right to report a debt to credit bureaus, or file a lawsuit.

On the other hand, the Irish gangland bill collection agency will utilize its reputation as a group of ruthless murderers and crooks to intimidate debtors into paying back drug money. Thankfully, the head of this operation has been arrested, and the Justice Minister of Ireland has promised to do everything in his power to guarantee that the accused will be brought to justice.

So next time you get a letter from a collections agency, try to keep things in perspective. And if you are ever in Ireland, it is probably not smart to take out a loan with a notorious gang.

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Wyoming City Is Trying To Collect

In the town of Cody, Wyoming, 219 utility accounts were sent for collection. Only four of the bills belonged to property owners. Some are suggesting that the town council should think about holding property owners responsible for utility costs that their renters left unpaid. A policy like that could have added $180,000 to the city budget during the past five years, and furthermore, other utility users are subsidizing those that don’t pay their bills.

Landlords are offering fast and obvious objection, asking the city council why it should be their responsibility to pay for a bill that someone else racked up. Another plan has been proposed though, one that would require a deposit from every person opening up a utility account.

This change in policy would involve a number of changes such as a mandate that a property owner co-sign for a renter’s account. Tenants would be billed on their own account but have an open landlord account for each property. Unpaid bills would be transferred to the landlord’s account if the tenant doesn’t pay.

Deposit requirements would go from $150 to $200, and would be necessary for all accounts, regardless of their past credit history. Property owners would be notified of delinquencies, and they would be encouraged to get in touch with the city to determine if the bill got paid before returning rental deposits. All property owners would have to keep utilities in their names.

Proponents of the plan say that it is not out of line with what other cities are doing, and it is a simpler and more cost efficient way to collect money. Collection agencies receive about one third of what they collect in the city, and 60 percent of bills that go to collection remain unpaid.

No matter what decision they arrive to, it should be quick: city officials are noting a trend towards fewer people making deposits and more accounts being sent out for collection.

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery solution, a credit collection agency. Our aim is to collect as much of your cash as possible.

Texas Toll Booths Shape Up And Ship Out

In Dallas, the North Texas Tollway Authority, an authority that is responsible for collecting tolls, has been scrutinized for months due to its toll collecting policy. This policy charges drivers who do not pay up at the toll booth fines of hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. Because the NTTA has been under fire in the public eye, it announced today two steps it says that will target improving customer satisfaction.

The first measure that the NTTA took was to allow all drivers to use the electronic toll collection lanes, including those who do not have one. They are able to do this without being punished with a twenty five dollar fine.

Before this measure, drivers without toll tags that utilized the electronic lanes on the Dallas North Tollway were seen at as violators and would be fined twenty five dollars for each time they passed through an electronic toll booth, rather than a cash booth after the fact.

However, after February eighth, the drivers lacking a toll tag who use the electronic lanes will be given the opportunity to pay for the tolls before being slammed with the additional twenty five dollar fine. But these toll charges will continue to be calculated at the cash rate, which is twice as high as the rates paid by toll tag consumers.

Unfortunately, the change won’t affect the NTTA’s collections policy in any other way and it will not stop consumers without toll tags who do not pay toll bills mailed to their homes from being charged twenty five dollars for every unpaid toll. This is a policy that can turn a week’s worth of tolls into a thousand dollar bill.

The NTTA’s second move was to appoint an internal auditor as a sort of mediator, which will be available to frustrated customers who have first complained their way through NTTA customer service hierarchy without a result that satisfied them. The auditor will then review the account and determine if customer service and billing reps have followed their own rules.

Mallory Megan works for Rapid Recovery Solution, a nationwide collection agency. Looking for credit card services or skip tracing? Contact us today.