Federal Gas Tax Proposal

[zloveraz]

This would nearly double the federal gas tax to 33 cents per gallon.

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/infrastructure/191758-bill-filed-to-hike-gas-tax

http://itep.org/itep_reports/2013/09/a-federal-gas-tax-for-the-future.php

 

[SrDriver]

That and some states are now considering charging you so much per mile of driving - other taxes and fees.

 

[surfstar]

If a raise in gas tax resulted in better roads and more $ for transportation projects (ie reduced traffic in some way) - I would be all for it!
Would never happen in reality, though.

 

[LoneRanger]

I don't see higher gasoline tax as a problem. Good way to narrow the gap between the retail price of gasoline and diesel. Only if diesel is left alone however. Diesel is primary to commerce and the moving of goods and thus the cost of diesel has more of a ripple effect through the economy than that of gasoline. Taxing gasoline to get the price up to that of diesel would also encourage the introduction of new more fuel efficient clean diesel vehicles like the diesel version of the Chevy Cruz. Maybe even diesel hybrids if possible.

 

[BISCUT]

woulda been suicide back in the 70's when our economy was tied gas and it was a large proportion of our GDP...like when we produces things. Now it's a tax burden on low and middle class.

 

[eljefino]

It's been the same 18 cents for 20 years now. As a percentage of the pump price it's pretty low compared to history.

2/3 of road maintenance money comes from the general fund; only 1/3 is paid by gas tax. Even with vehicle registration fees etc you still don't get close.

And a greater % of every dollar spent at the pump stays inside the US.

Pricing will be more consistent and less % swing due to Abdul the Terrorist picking his nose.

I welcome this idea with open arms.

 

[KenO]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
I don't see higher gasoline tax as a problem. Good way to narrow the gap between the retail price of gasoline and diesel. Only if diesel is left alone however. Diesel is primary to commerce and the moving of goods and thus the cost of diesel has more of a ripple effect through the economy than that of gasoline. Taxing gasoline to get the price up to that of diesel would also encourage the introduction of new more fuel efficient clean diesel vehicles like the diesel version of the Chevy Cruz. Maybe even diesel hybrids if possible.




Cost of diesel is not whats preventing us from getting all the awesome diesel cars Europe has - blame the EPA for that, and their ridiculous emissions mandates for diesels.

 

[Astro14]

If the gas tax were indexed to inflation, (using the 18 cents from 1993), we would be paying about 30 cents/gallon now. If it were indexed to the price of gas, (using the cost of $1.06/gallon in 1993) we would be paying over 57 cents/gallon...the real rate of taxation on gasoline has fallen dramatically over the past 20 years.

This 33 cents/gallon is a distraction, compared with a whole host of larger federal taxation and spending issues...really? Upset over 15 cents/gallon? It fluctuates more than that...a tax of that minor magnitude is just noise in the background of far greater car ownership and driving costs...

 

[javacontour]

This is one tax increase that makes sense. As others have noted, it's not been raised in 20 years. Since it's an excise tax ($/unit volume) and not a percentage of cost, it doesn't keep pace with inflation.

It needs protections to ensure it goes into roads, bridges and paying for the military spending that keeps the oil flowing.

It's probably too loo for what it costs the government to keep the shipping lanes open as well as building and maintaining the roads.

 

[MolaKule]

Write your COngress people and tell the how you feel.

I wrote mine and asked them to kill any current or future fuel taxes.

 

[Turk]

How many more times are we going to let them go to our Well??

Part of why I retired early. Starve the beast.

 

[nitehawk55]

Another cash grab that will not be used for what it's supposed to be .

 

[sciphi]

A good idea in theory. I'm all for it if it's used for better roads. A Thanksgiving trip illustrated that point nicely. The Canadian roads I used were in far better shape than the Michigan roads I used. New York roads were in between. NY has higher gasoline taxes than Michigan, and Canadian gas taxes are higher yet.

 

[zzyzzx]

Do away with the requirement to use union labor instead of raising taxes.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Another cash grab that will not be used for what it's supposed to be.


Article says transportation expenditures have been underfunded and steal from the general fund.

 

[Voltmaster]

Cant wait for Tesla to make a car that is simply wheels, body and stero and seats!

 

[Cutehumor]

the government is broke so it's trying to find any tax revenue to hit up, the gas tax raise is one of them. if I didn't have paid off cars, I would be looking at an electric vehicle then put a solar system in the car to charge the electric battery

 

[LargeCarManX2]

How does that song go: " Tax the rich to feed the poor, tell there are rich no more"

Don't worry, at the rate this is going....they will have all the workers on buses to and from the salt mines.....emmmm...no rich, no poor, no freedom...sounds like

S_CI_LI_M

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Another cash grab that will not be used for what it's supposed to be.


Article says transportation expenditures have been underfunded and steal from the general fund.


Projects like the Bridge to Nowhere go a long way to explain why that is.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
Another cash grab that will not be used for what it's supposed to be.


Article says transportation expenditures have been underfunded and steal from the general fund.


Yeah, Im all for consumption based upon use and inline with the times. As opposed to an increase in income tax or other things, something like this makes more sense... Assuming that it maintains the roads that currently exist, and do not turn into expansions or more roads that should be paid for (IMO) by the people of the localities that they benefit. A lot of the roads are decrepit, despite the "shovel ready" projects of a few years ago.

Some of that may also be due to state, county and local taxation vs federal.

But the one place where it is sensible to tax based upon consumption and invest with tax dollars is infrastructure.