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View Full Version : Is it time to raise gas taxes?



stephanie
04-26-2007, 03:38 AM
David Lazarus
SNIP:
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
for full article...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/25/BUGF3PEIUQ1.DTL
A gallon of unleaded regular gas was averaging $2.85 nationwide Tuesday, $3.34 in California and $3.47 in San Francisco, according to AAA. Experts say drivers could be paying $4 per gallon at the pump before long.

But is that high enough?

This week we'll look at the thorny issue of gas taxes and whether a major hit to the pockets of American drivers is the only way we can wean ourselves from our addiction to foreign oil and spur increased demand for, and production of, fuel-efficient vehicles.

If so, it won't be easy. And it won't be painless.

"With gas prices where they are now, the political concern is that anyone would be asking for trouble by bringing this up," said Leon Panetta, founder of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in Monterey and White House chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton.

"It would take courage," he said. "But it's the right argument to be made."

To be sure, it's not a new argument. Some economists have been saying for years that higher gas taxes would have myriad benefits for Americans -- not least, they would discourage consumption and thus make us less reliant on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other overseas oil suppliers.

Higher gas taxes could also increase demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, spur development of new technologies and be used to fund alternative energy sources or expansion of public transportation systems.

A prominent advocate of higher gas taxes is N. Gregory Mankiw, a Harvard University economist and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Bush. He's calling for Congress to adopt a $1 increase in gas taxes, phased in by 10 cents a year over the next decade.

At the same time, Mankiw would balance this with a reduction in income taxes. A $1 increase in gas taxes, he says, could raise as much as $100 billion in annual revenue. This might be sufficient to lower income taxes by about two percentage points per taxpayer.

"When you hear the words 'gas tax,' you naturally think it's going to be a tax increase," Mankiw said. "I would earmark the money for tax cuts."

Other economists say gas-tax revenue could take the form of rebates to consumers, increased investment in public transportation or increased spending on research into new energy technologies.

According to the American Petroleum Institute, U.S. drivers were paying an average 45.8 cents per gallon in federal and state taxes for a gallon of gas last month. Since 1993, the federal tax has remained steady at 18.4 cents per gallon.

California drivers are saddled with average gas taxes of 58.6 cents per gallon, according to the institute. That's the third-highest total in the nation, after New York (60.8 cents) and Hawaii (60.4 cents).

The lowest gas-tax burdens can be found in Alaska (26.4 cents per gallon), Wyoming (32.4 cents) and New Jersey (32.9 cents).

By contrast, taxes add about $4 to the price of a gallon of gas in Europe and more than $3 in Japan.

These sky-high gas taxes abroad both fill government coffers and make drivers highly sensitive to pump prices. As a result, a greater emphasis is placed on walking and public transportation than in the United States, and fuel efficiency is among the most important considerations when buying a new vehicle.

Gaffer
04-26-2007, 06:48 PM
Sure, just like cigarettes. Tax the hell out of it so people can't afford to drive. The frivality of driving to work or transporting goods is not as important as getting rid of the fuel glutteny. We can tax bus fares and bicycles and any means of transportation. And the money can be used to build better roads that we can't drive on. :cheers2:

shattered
04-26-2007, 06:51 PM
Hey, no problem. I can leave the car in the garage, and walk 25 miles to work..

Mr. P
04-26-2007, 06:56 PM
Hey, no problem. I can leave the car in the garage, and walk 25 miles to work..

Barefoot through the snow?

stephanie
04-26-2007, 06:59 PM
Me...I get to walk 160 mls to go grocery shopping...YEA!

shattered
04-26-2007, 07:01 PM
Barefoot through the snow?

Up hill...both ways.

gabosaurus
04-26-2007, 07:04 PM
Rather than raising gas taxes, I am in favor of gas rationing for individuals. If you want to drive a big car, be prepared to drive less. Or apply for a permit.

Cars are a necessity for many. Cigarettes are not. I think there should be a $5 per pack tax on cigarettes. To help offset health care costs. Those who enjoy smoking should be glad to pay it.

shattered
04-26-2007, 07:06 PM
Rather than raising gas taxes, I am in favor of gas rationing for individuals. If you want to drive a big car, be prepared to drive less. Or apply for a permit.

Cars are a necessity for many. Cigarettes are not. I think there should be a $5 per pack tax on cigarettes. To help offset health care costs. Those who enjoy smoking should be glad to pay it.

Why? You aren't paying for someone elses gas - what do you care what they drive? Also, FYI, those individuals that smoke DO pay more for health insurance than you do (if you pay for it at all).

avatar4321
04-26-2007, 08:29 PM
Rather than raising gas taxes, I am in favor of gas rationing for individuals. If you want to drive a big car, be prepared to drive less. Or apply for a permit.

Cars are a necessity for many. Cigarettes are not. I think there should be a $5 per pack tax on cigarettes. To help offset health care costs. Those who enjoy smoking should be glad to pay it.

Who the hell are you to think you can tell people what and how far they can drive?

Rather than raising gas taxes we should be LOWERING them. There is no reason the government should be charging us so damn much for gasoline.

Gunny
04-26-2007, 08:31 PM
Rather than raising gas taxes, I am in favor of gas rationing for individuals. If you want to drive a big car, be prepared to drive less. Or apply for a permit.

Cars are a necessity for many. Cigarettes are not. I think there should be a $5 per pack tax on cigarettes. To help offset health care costs. Those who enjoy smoking should be glad to pay it.

Good thing we have socialists like you to tell us what we need.

avatar4321
04-26-2007, 08:34 PM
Good thing we have socialists like you to tell us what we need.

What would we ever do without them?

Oh yeah, think, make choices, govern ourselves. We'd actually be free.

Give me freedom over government programs and taxation any day.

LiberalNation
04-26-2007, 08:36 PM
No, gas prices are high enough as it is. This would only hurt the middle class and poor while not helping anything. People still hafta drive.

stephanie
04-26-2007, 08:38 PM
Is this what's being taught in our colleges and universities...???

Making good little Socialist...

We're in for a world of hurt.....Sheeesh:slap:

Gunny
04-26-2007, 08:39 PM
What would we ever do without them?

Oh yeah, think, make choices, govern ourselves. We'd actually be free.

Give me freedom over government programs and taxation any day.

People like gabby can't stand the idea that anyone might want to live in a manner they have decided isn't good for them.

-Cp
04-26-2007, 08:45 PM
ya'll have also been remiss of the fact that the higher gas goes the higher prices go on EVERYTHING we buy... Higher gas means higher costs for retail products and consumables as the truckers who haul the goods to your local stores will be passing along the higher gas prices to you, the consumer...

stephanie
04-26-2007, 08:52 PM
yall have also been remiss of the fact that the higher gas goes the higher prices go on EVERYTHING we buy... Higher gas means higher costs for retail products and consumables as the truckers who haul the goods to your local stores will be passing along the higher gas prices to you, the consumer...

But but.......either they don't think of that........Or..they don't care..
Did you see where this article came out of...
Leon Panetta, founder of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in Monterey and White House chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton.

LiberalNation
04-26-2007, 08:52 PM
Whose they, sterotyping again.

Yurt
04-26-2007, 09:17 PM
Hell yes we need to raise gas taxes. How else are we going to afford to educate these liberals (won't mention names, won't even loosely mention names), because the current education system obviously is not working....

gabosaurus
04-26-2007, 11:51 PM
The education system worked for me. I have a college degree. Didn't cost my parents anything. :cool: