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It seems that taxing by axel weight to the 4th power times by miles driven -- which is thus relative to how much damage is caused -- seems sensible.

An 2600lb Nissan Micra would cost say 1c per mile and a 4100lb F150 would cost 6c per mile.

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Unintended consequence: Ford adds another rear axle to the F150.

A lot of bridge tolls are by axle count, so there's pressure not to increase those.

This would reduce the gas mileage negating whatever tax savings there were as well as increase maintenance. This would also damage the roads less.

My original comment was kinda ridiculous and was not worthy of a serious response ;) But, to respond to this more seriously, the people I personally know who drive gigantic trucks would most likely be proud of their reduced gas mileage. They already deliberately drive a 15mpg vehicle primarily for grocery pickup.

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