Governor Kevin Stitt has signed off on two bills that concern how Oklahoma would tax both electric and electric/hybrid vehicles.
House Bill 1712 creates the "Road User Charge Task Force" which would study how to best record and report public road usage, specifically for electric and electric/hybrid vehicles.
The bill, authored by Rep. Brian Hill (R-Mustang), requires a report from the task force's findings and recommendations by Dec. 31, 2023. Hill said the task force is crucial for the future of Oklahoma's roads and bridges.
"With the projected growth of the electric vehicle industry and in consideration of our current system for road maintenance being based on the taxes we pay at the pump with combustion vehicles, foresight is necessary for our success," Hill said in a press release.
HB1712 would also direct the Oklahoma Tax Commission to administer collection of any charges or fees from the Road User Charge Program - which is voluntary. The bill goes into effect on November 1st.
Stitt also approved House Bill 2234 earlier in this session. The bill is also known as The Driving on Road Infrastructure with Vehicles of Electricity - or DRIVE - Act.
The DRIVE Act enacts a three-cent tax per kilowatt-hour to charge an electric vehicle at a public, for-profit charging station. Authors of the bill said this tax would ensure capturing funding from out-of-state drivers. There would be no tax for people who charge vehicles at home.
The DRIVE act also would charge registration fees for electric vehicles based on its weight and type - and would provide an income tax credit to Oklahomans for charging taxes paid at a charging station - that would not exceed the registration fee.
The revenue generated for the bill would be placed into the DRIVE revolving fund, which would supplement Oklahoma's current ROADS Fund - which is used to pay for maintenance and repair of state highways and bridges.
---
Support this vital local reporting with a donation to KOSU. Click here to give.
