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Automotive News & Views Is a Higher Gasoline Tax Good Or Bad For America?
849 messages, Last post on Nov 19, 2009 at 2:22 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 26, 2009 12:03 pm)
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 26, 2009 12:37 pm) Of course, DOE now thinks it's a national security agency.
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...if other taxes were eliminated to ease the blow. But the federal government is so addicted to the revenue that this will never happen. But if consumption is supposedly so bad, then I'd like to see gas tax proponents put their money where their mouth is and propose the elimination of ALL federal income and estate taxes (shouldn't we be encouraging people to make MORE money and save it to pass on to their heirs?) and make increased gasoline taxes part of a larger federal consumption tax scheme. |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 26, 2009 1:36 pm) |
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 26, 2009 12:36 pm) But that isn't the premise of this topic. It was +$0.10/gal/year, which is too small for new car purchasers to really be concerned about. Lastly, say what you will about what SHOULD be the case, but there are plenty of people in the $30-40K annual income bracket buying new cars, even now Wrong. There aren't "plenty of people" buying cars right now of any income bracket! You know a couple. And if there was an additional $0.50/gal gas tax that may have been enough income from their pockets, to keep these couple of people from buying that Corolla or Mazda. As before I'm with you on there should be more smaller cars, and I'm personally turned off by many of our lager vehicles. I would like to see more small cars on the road. But raising the gas tax is a p__s-poor way to do so for various reasons. I watched the Tokyo Auto Show last night and thought many of their cars were very interesting, and if not exactly practical - at least fun. I wish our government did not legislate either for emissions or safety that many of them can't be sold here. But I certainly don't want the government to coerce/punish people either. |
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When Gas was getting close to $4.00 a gallon we, the American people, reduced our fuel consumption by 6%. Not a lot mind you but better than a sharp stick in the eye. Then we discover that the reduced consumption reduced the expected income to both the state and the Feds. Now we hear the government is considering raising the gas tax to cover the short fall? The short fall for doing just what we were asked to do? Lets say that tax is 50 cents more. If I work at Walmart and drive to work every day and fill up once a week with 20 gallons I just hit my paycheck and extra $10.00 on top of what ever my gas cost me normally. If gas goes up to $3.50 a gallon I will pay $70.00 to fill the tank normally. But with the additional 50 cent tax I get to pay $80.00. The average commute in Southern California is something like 35 miles one way. So if your Mini Van Averages 17.5 MPG for you and your three kids. 2.2 is the average I believe, or something close. You just took a 25 cent an hour pay cut. If you get to work 8 hours 5 days a week. My friend Nippon says all they need to do is get a new small car. 12 to 15K should be no problem to the average person making minimum wage. Oh wait there will be car payments on top of a gas tax. What can we do but decide not to take the kids to the doctor just because they have a little fever. I know, I know, hyperbole. But theory verses what "is" happening in the US right now in front of us should show how hard a new gas tax will damage the working class in the US. In our State our state legislation can't pass a budget but they are not taking a financial hit. They may cut state workers salaries and close the DMV three days a week but they aren't suggesting they take a cut in pay. They simply want to send out IOUs for tax refunds on money they already have that belongs to the tax payer. Tax fuel and you raise the price of groceries, building supplies, the travel industry. To pay for those increases the grocery store cuts employees as does Home Depot and the airlines. Don't believe it just look at the unemployment results on TV. Our newly elected President comes on TV and tells us we can't afford to raise taxes right now. One thing he seems to agree with the old president on and some Automotive editor suggests we raise fuel taxes for our own good? I have to ask, where is a rope when you need one? I hope he works for part of the Time Warner group and his job is in danger. |
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The point is not so much that raising the gas tax will take money out of consumer's pockets but rather where the money would go if there wasn't a gas tax increase. Since the majority of our oil is imported, and always will be, the majority of this money would have been shipped overseas versus a gas tax which is for domestic consumption/investment/paying down the national debt. If you want to apply the gas tax to a 'shovel ready' set of projects I suggest the 150,000 structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in this country (http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transport- ation_statistics_2007/html/table_01_07.html) The gas tax can be used as a sin tax much the way cigarette taxes are used. You tax things that you want society to use less of b/c there are huge repurcussions with overuse. We really have to get over the idea in this country that we have to maximize our consumption of natural resources to provide the best possible life for us and our kids. That is not what I call quality of life. We are not building the next Athens here folks by buying F-150s, we just have gotten used to our toys and distractions and think that anyone who lives without them really isn't living. I've visited places where they do pay a lot for gas (New Zealand, Israel, Germany) and they're lifestyles are not "sabotaged" by high fuel costs. In fact they are democracies that chose that path after considering all the facts.......
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Those of you who argue against a gasoline tax increase, would you favor reducing or repealing the current gasoline tax? Why or why not?
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Replying to: gsolman6 (Jan 26, 2009 8:42 pm) It's known as trade. They in turn buy our computers, and consumer goods. And those countries have little else to sell, so I feel purchasing foreign oil is my charity to the world. Trade is the best thing to bring the peoples of the world together and promote peace. If you want to apply the gas tax to a 'shovel ready' set of projects I suggest the 150,000 structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges in this country. Yes the gas tax should have been used for auto-transport before much of it is siphoned off to build subways and such, and subsidize their annual operation. The gas tax can be used as a sin tax much the way cigarette taxes are used. Now here you're really veering off track, if you want us all to agree to this "sin" principle. Whether you consider cigarettes, gasoline, gambling ... a sin is your personal or religious belief. It is not my belief or many other people, that using the resources the Creator has provided us is a sin. I do not consider a sin that the Creator is fusing materials all over the universe - in the stars - for little apparent use other than to create little lights for us to look up at. 
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