Previous letter writers have pointed out serious flaws in the new vehicle tax reform. These include the never-ending “birthday tax” on those who can’t afford to trade in their old car, and the tax-on-tax impact of financing a vehicle.

The real winners here are the car dealers and finance companies, which leads me to an idea for preventing future bad legislation. Members of the state legislature who stand to gain from or have a vested interest in a new law should be required to abstain from voting on it. A number of our legislators are car dealers or have financial interest in dealerships. How do you think the vote would have gone if old cars were exempted or if people were given the option of paying a one-time fee on their existing vehicles?

Helen Gaye
Gainesville