In "Report Suggests Scrapping Gas Taxes in Favor Of Per-mile Levy" on Feb. 11, the Rand Corp. recommends the federal gas tax be replaced with a vehicle mileage tax. They say, "Congress should get rid of fuel taxes and move toward a system that charges road users for miles they travel."

They go on to say the problem with the current fuel tax is that the increased use of vehicles with higher fuel efficiency has reduced fuel usage and, therefore, tax receipts for federal highway funding. Rand's conclusion is that miles driven would be a fairer barometer for assessing highway taxes, and they suggest numerous methods for tracking such mileage.

If our legislators were to act on that misguided proposal, they would likely provide a major boost for Hummer sales. We could all have roomier, heavier, safer vehicles, which, without fuel taxes, would likely cost about the same to operate per mile as small, fuel efficient automobiles do today.

I'd suggest Rand study ways to charge 18-wheelers in true proportion to the damage and carnage and congestion they cause on our nation's highways. Higher trucking charges would ultimately encourage shippers to use safer and fuel-efficient railroads for more heavy-haul, reducing our highway maintenance costs substantially. Taxing automobiles on mileage rather than fuel consumption would seem to be a shortsighted and counterproductive step.

The clarity of your Feb. 11 "Credit Limits: Regulators Cracking Down on No-payment Financing Deals" article is commendable. I'm a former banker but never understood "no interest, no payment financing."

GE Money must give Levin the cash for the item when the buyer/borrower signs the three-year financing contract. I'm guessing Levin and GE have priced the item richly or else it would have cost the buyer less had he paid for it upfront! Otherwise GE makes no money in accrued interest since it is forgiven if the buyer pays in full before the three-year financing contract ends, right? The pricing differential is not disclosed.

I wonder what percentage of buyer/borrowers fail to pay on time and so have to pay the interest? Is that rate disclosed in the financing contract?

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