The saying goes: if you build it, they will come.

Pennsylvania continues to build out charging infrastructure to support our inevitable, albeit slower than hoped, switch to electric vehicles.

Like many states, Pennsylvania recognizes the public health and consumer benefits of plug-in cars and other zero-emission vehicles.

The state smartly offers rebates to incentivize drivers to switch to electric cars, since we all benefit from clean air.

But a new proposal to slap electric vehicle drivers with a punitive tax risks driving us in the wrong direction.

To the average motorist, our state policies would come across as incoherent. Why encourage clean cars with incentives, only to punish EV drivers with extra fees that amount to more than they would pay under the gas tax?

As the driver of a Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), a car that can run exclusively on electric, gas or both, I’m facing a penalty on top of the taxes and fees already assessed on the gas and electricity I consume.

Given the proliferation of EVs and PHEVs in southern Butler County, and across the state, it’s time we let Harrisburg know we will not stand around and be penalized for our choice of electric vehicles.

Jason Pappas, Cranberry Township