Revenue

I'm torn on this issue. Yes, raising gas taxes will certainly help to drive down demand and could raise a ton of revenue for moving our country forward on new technology. However, it comes at a cost, and right now i'm not sure our economy can handle the added cost. Increasing the gas tax would increase the amount consumers pay for gas. It would increase the operating costs for companies, and increase the price of goods sold for almost everything.

In short, it's a good idea at a bad time. As the economy recovers, however, i could see slowly ramping something like this up - it could be a great tool to ensure that the economy doesn't recover too quickly, as rapid economic assents usually aren't sustainable. It would be much better to temper things and draw it out.

 

I voted for the gas tax but I think that option is worded wrong. A variable gas tax would be implemented to maintain a price floor, a minimum price gasoline could sell at.

 

I am increasingly getting reluctant to support any more taxes. Unfortunately in this country, we don't have as honest a government or as much accountability as can be found in European countries that have higher taxes but enjoy so many more benefits than we do here. I would fear that we would pass a tax like that, fill the coffers with appropriated funds, then the administration would change and the coffers would be pillaged once again. We simply can't trust elected officials or leaders in any kind of power to do the right thing with our money. It is sad that the supposed 'leading nation of the world' is as corrupt as the worst of them.

 

Dave, I think the poll choices were poorly worded. I don't think we want a price ceiling on gas. But unlike most polls, you did include the one I think best:

A heavy tax on carbon.

Since petroleum is a hydrocarbon, gas would be hit by this tax, as it should be, but so would natural gas, and mostly coal, which is a disaster from mine to smoke stack.

I would put the tax on carbon, but calculate it so that it effectively raises the cost of gasoline to around $10 for now, maybe higher later on. Then, to address the issue of poor people being unable to afford gas and heat, I would implement a national fair wage law so that nobody who works 40 hours a week would be poor.

We have an economic system where it is permitted to hire someone full time and then pay them so little they have to choose between food and shelter, and forget about medical care. This is a national disgrace. But then to make it worse, we act as though this criminally disgraceful economic system were the natural way of things, and a reason to subsidize the petroleum industry.

Energy has a huge social cost. This cost must be reflected in its price. And as a society, we can no longer justify feudal economic relations where a disempowered work force is paid too little to live on.

 

"Tax gas to set a $2.50 price floor. Increase as the economy improves."

69 characters.

However, when writing poll answers, the more detailed you get, the less likely anyone will want to pick the answer.

"Tax gas to make it expensive," would be more general. In your post you could give specifics of your plan, and people can always post comments.

 

Gasoline already is absurdly expensive. Not the price, which is heavily subsidised and artificially low, but the cost. We don't count it that way, but we should.

 

My suggestion falls very much in line with Daniels.
Tax carbon which, in turn, would also increase the cost of gasoline.
We really don't pay the true cost of gasoline or coal. If we did, alternatives would be that much more appealing.