[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey should. Lock, stock and barrel. But I also like the idea of balancing rates for things like health insurance on the same basic principle, people who don't take care of themselves, and use lots of expensive health care because they refuse to comply with some basic principles or are just genetically unlucky, should pay more.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Tyler is right. Drivers should pay for the roads they use. A higher gasoline tax, especially one which enforces a minimum pump price will help reduce total gasoline usage.

How should the money be used? Travel infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc) needs plenty, so no problem for awhile.

If you don't want to increase federal bloat - fine -- just decrease income taxes by as much as this tax raises. However, IMO, don't do that until we have budget surpluses.

BTW, I think $1.00 is too small. I think we need serious shock value to wake people up. I'd like to see a new $5.00 tax on gasoline and diesel, but that freaks nearly everyone out. How about we add $1.00 a year starting in 2012 for the next 5 years? Gives folks time to plan and adjust.

Plug-in hybrids would be looking a hell of a lot more viable around 2013 or so...
And this would basically bring us to parity with places like western Europe.

[SpockLives]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Outcast_Searcher', 'B')TW, I think $1.00 is too small. I think we need serious shock value to wake people up. I'd like to see a new $5.00 tax on gasoline and diesel, but that freaks nearly everyone out. How about we add $1.00 a year starting in 2012 for the next 5 years? Gives folks time to plan and adjust.

[pup55]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')rivers should pay for the roads they use.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '
')So, maybe there is some rationale, under the concept of "promoting the general welfare" that non-drivers are deriving some benefits from the highways and should fork over a few dollars for their upkeep.

[SpockLives]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '
')So, maybe there is some rationale, under the concept of "promoting the general welfare" that non-drivers are deriving some benefits from the highways and should fork over a few dollars for their upkeep.

[pup55]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'w')e are already so far away from a simple or reasonable tax code

[vtsnowedin]

There is no need to tax a Motel six or any other business a separate tax for the road to it's door. Every customer and every vendor or employee pays tax to get to the business and that covers it nicely. Even the most green living person living in town and walking or bike riding to all his or her appointments pays tax through the prices they pay for the food in the store and the clothes on his back as all of these items were transported by truck several times in their path from source to his hand.
The gas tax is about as good as a tax can get. The more you use the road the more tax you pay. The heavier the vehicle you drive the more fuel it uses and the more tax you pay and wear and tear on a road is almost totally defined by the weight of the vehicles using it.
As to what they will do with the tax money I agree that that is a mute point. The country is so far behind now all a dollar increase would do is reduce the rate we charge the bankruptcy wall.
Over the last year the price of gas has risen about a dollar per gallon. Who got that dollar? Arab oil sheiks? Hugo Chavez? Exxon execatives? Better to raise the tax and keep it here and try to get it well spent.
The average American consumes 22 barrels of oil per year, the average Brit. 10. The difference is the fuel taxes they have been paying for over a decade. And they are the proof that raising the fuel tax will reduce individual consumption and reduce our dependence on imported oil.
Our politicians if competent would be for a steady planned increase in fuel taxes to put us in a less dependant position but instead are once again debating who is the most socially conservative opponent to put up against Obama and who has tweeted the least offensive tweet.

[Arthur75]

Target should be 3$ a gallon tax for the US, at least, knowing the totally ridiculous level it starts from.

And yes, gas taxes (volume based) do work in pushing the whole infrastructure in the right direction.

Hope it will be raised in Europe too, and jet fuel should be taxed as much as gas (a scandal that it is currently at 0).

These taxes must be seen as changes accelerators.

Make a big part of them 100% directly redistributed as proposed by James Hansen if you want.

And don't forget that they can also lower the fiscal and trade deficits.

In fact high volume based taxes on fossile fuels are the single policy making sense for having a slight chance to manage the turn.

Key aspects of raw materials taxes is that they are solutions agnostic, be the solutions conservations oriented, or alternative production oriented.
Exactly what is needed.

[Cog]

Dupe post

[Cog]

I see little reason to voluntarily bankrupt the American economy by increasing fuel taxes. Already, $3.75 gallon gasoline is having a downward pressure on the economy. You want to send it into a deeper recession, sure raise the gas prices $2-3 per gallon.

Typical for the left in that they have never met a tax that they didn't fall down and worship.

[vision-master]

Don't they kneel down instead.

[AdTheNad]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', 'I') see little reason to voluntarily bankrupt the American economy by increasing fuel taxes. Already, $3.75 gallon gasoline is having a downward pressure on the economy. You want to send it into a deeper recession, sure raise the gas prices $2-3 per gallon.

Typical for the left in that they have never met a tax that they didn't fall down and worship.

[pup55]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou see little reason to expect people to pay anywhere close to the true cost for a finite resource,

[SpockLives]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', ' ')After all, the societal costs of the increased health care costs, damage to other parts of the environment i.e. oil spills and that kind of thing. Another couple of bucks? I dunno.

It's starting to add up.

[Arthur75]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', 'I') see little reason to voluntarily bankrupt the American economy by increasing fuel taxes. Already, $3.75 gallon gasoline is having a downward pressure on the economy. You want to send it into a deeper recession, sure raise the gas prices $2-3 per gallon.

[stephankrasner]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', 'I') see little reason to voluntarily bankrupt the American economy by increasing fuel taxes. Already, $3.75 gallon gasoline is having a downward pressure on the economy. You want to send it into a deeper recession, sure raise the gas prices $2-3 per gallon.

Typical for the left in that they have never met a tax that they didn't fall down and worship.

[vtsnowedin]

I have to take issue with the assumption that my supporting a raise in the gas tax defines me as a liberal. I am one of the more fiscally conservative members on this board so you could not be more wrong. True conservatism is not just a knee jerk refusal of all taxes but a clear view that taxes need to be as low as possible And that budgets need to be balanced.
If the federal budget was in balance, which it most assuredly is not, then a increase in fuel taxes would need to be balanced by a cut in some other broad based tax. The reality is that the federal deficit is enormous and our ability to borrow or print money is fast coming to an end and major tax increases are inevitable. Choosing fuel taxes to raise part of the needed funds will serve two purposes, both raising funds and pushing people to a more fuel efficient future.

[Cloud9]

As we proceed down the back slope of the curve in production, gas prices will go up. We may see $3 again for a short time but $4 is the new norm. By the end of the year, $5 may very well be the next new norm. Whether it is this year or next year does not matter, fuel prices are on the rise. Ron Paul predicted 50% inflation in two years. If he is right gas will be $8 in 2013. The demand destruction wished for by the greens is inevitable. Just be patient. It will be here soon enough.

The sad thing is, it won’t be just oil a lot of people will be doing without, it will be everything oil touches. What’s going to happen when your unemployment check buys 50% less food. We may have software engineers setting themselves on fire on Madison Avenue.

[SpockLives]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stephankrasner', ' ')Higher prices on the lifeblood of America WILL damage the economy.