ONE LAST THING ... Did you know that you can enjoy your association news anytime, anywhere? Scan the QR code or visit: utah-auto-dealer.thenewslinkgroup.org Check it out! The new online article build-outs allow you to: • Stay up to date with the latest association news • Share your favorite articles to social channels • Email articles to friends or colleagues There is still a flipping book for those of you who prefer swiping and a downloadable PDF. Utah’s Road Usage Charge is a potential replacement for the fuel tax, helping to provide a sustainable funding mechanism to build and maintain Utah’s roads. Every year, the number of vehicles and miles traveled on Utah roads continues to increase, putting more wear and tear on the roads and increasing roadway maintenance costs. However, the value of the fuel tax is eroding as vehicles become more fuel efficient and operate on alternative fuels. To add context, during the 2018 Legislative session, Utah lawmakers instituted an alternative fuel vehicle fee to cover a portion of those vehicles’ contribution to building and maintaining Utah’s transportation system. This fee is in addition to the annual vehicle registration fee assessed on all vehicles in the State. Utah’s Road Usage Charge provides a choice for owners of alternative fuel vehicles to pay by the mile in lieu of paying the alternative fuel vehicle fee. According to Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan, between 2019 and 2050, the estimated total transportation need in Utah is $108.5 billion. This estimate includes the funding needed to operate our current transportation system. This includes preserving and maintaining infrastructure, including funding to meet growing travel demands by increasing roadway capacity by building new roads and widening and making operational enhancements to existing roads. It also focuses on increasing transit capacity by building new transit lines, upgrading existing lines and providing more frequent rail and bus service, and increasing options to bike or walk by constructing new bikeways and improving existing trails and walkways. Utah state’s transportation partners have developed a Unified Plan Financial Model. The plan assumes that the revenues coming from transportation user fees — such as the current motor fuel tax or a replacement, like a road usage charge — will continue and grow gradually over time. Today, with Utah’s Road Usage Charge program, drivers can choose to continue to pay the flat fee for alternative fuel vehicles or enroll in the program to pay for road usage based on the number of miles they drive, up to the amount of the set flat fee. Simply put, if you drive less, you pay less. People who drive relatively few miles can save money by paying 1.00 cents per mile instead of paying the flat fee at registration time. You’ll never pay more in the program, but you may pay less. As of Jan. 1, 2023, only fully electric cars are eligible to enroll in Utah’s Road Usage Charge program. This change allows all gasoline hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles that were already enrolled in the program to be grandfathered in. Enrollment is easy. Simply visit https://roadusagecharge.utah.gov/enroll.php, and fill out your information, install the tracker and download the app to your smartphone and start driving. Continued from page 20 22 UTAH AUTO DEALER
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