>I’m a car guy. I have an environmental conscious, but I still admire horsepower and thoughtful design on any vehicle. But regardless of track times, the performance crossover SUV is one of the most impractical vehicle classes ever made. All performance crossover SUVs possess a higher center of gravity and bulky exterior, which is usually paired with a surprisingly small amount of cargo space. Did I mention shitty gas mileage?
The gas guzzler tax is placed on any vehicle with a combined average fuel consumption below 22.5 mpg. The tax starts at $1,000 and works its way up to $7,700 for cars that get less than 12.5 mpg. But the gas guzzler tax is only on cars. Performance crossover SUVs do not get taxed for guzzling because their exterior dimensions and ground clearance have them recognized as utility vehicles.
This loophole is absurd. The BMW X6M, a performance crossover SUV with a 555 hp, 4.4L V8 engine gets a combined fuel consumption of 13 mpg. Yet it has no gas guzzler tax because it’s considered a utility vehicle. Meanwhile, the BMW M5, which uses the same engine as the X6M and has nearly identical fuel economy, gets slammed with a $3,000 gas guzzler tax.
It’s time that we close the loophole and tax all gas-guzzlers.