Yesterday I went to a garage to do the biennial car smog test for $50; after the test I also needed to pay DMV the annual registration and license fee for $150.  Does it cost much for drivers to own a car in America?  Well, it doesnt as much as that in Taiwan. 

Because the car Im driving in Taiwan has been more than ten years "old", I have to do the similar test biannually for about $30.  But what cost me dearly is the annual taxes for license and gas, and that will be nearly $800 in total for my 2.5 liter Ford , which is much, much higher than that in America, where I am also driving the same 2.5 liter car, a Volvo.

Although the expenditures on maintenance, insurance, and gas in two places are almost at the same level between two places, the purchase price of a car in Taiwan, especially of those prohibitive imports, is much higher than its counter part in America.  Therefore, for the sake of national economy, not to mention selfishness, it is wise for a large but less populous country like America to lower import tax and other costs for creating a better enviornment of private transportation.  On the other hand, itd better for a likewise large but much more populous country like China to invest more on the infrastructure of public transportation.