The gas tax has been fixed at 18 cents for two decades. Now would be a great time to raise it

Washington Post ^ | December 3, 2014 | Chris Mooney

[C19fan]

Nationally averaged gas prices ticked down a little lower today -- yet again -- to $2.75 per gallon. They're now more than 50 cents lower than they were a year ago. So no wonder, at a time like this, the murmur is growing: Maybe Congress ought to think about raising the national gasoline tax.

It was last raised, in the year 1993, to 18.4 cents per gallon. That's over 20 years ago, and gas prices at the time were close to the now unimaginable $1.00 per gallon mark. Yet the amount of the gas tax was fixed and not tied to inflation -- so it has not changed since. (U.S. states also charge gasoline taxes; the national average is about 23.5 cents.)

[C19fan]

Wonderful when consumers finally get a break the Inside the Beltway types want to take that away. I might favor a gas tax increase if they eliminated Davis Bacon that artificially increases the costs of building infrastructure and also mandating the money must be spent on roads not bicycle paths and mass transit.

[yldstrk]

how about hell no

[Mr. K]

Sure! because the government does not have NEARLY enough money... they need MORE!

[Lurker]

What you said.

[moehoward]

Sure great time, because gas will NEVER go up in price..../s

[Tenacious 1]

Let’s get rid of the FUEL tax and all other taxes in accordance with the FAIR TAX. Then we can re-tax the gasoline at the same rate as all other goods.

[shove_it]

How about quit using the gasoline tax to subsidize mass transportation instead.

[allendale]

This is why elections matter. If the Democrats were in power, this would be their marching orders.

[MUDDOG]

Now would be a great time to cut spending.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Communists never surrender. They never compromise.

Unlike the GOPe.

[DaveA37]

“Sure! because the government does not have NEARLY enough money... they need MORE!”........

I’m curious, did you miss that part about odumbo giving the illegals amnesty? Obviously that’s gonna cost and cost a LOT.

[MrB]

[txrefugee]

Only if that raise comes with prison sentences for congress critters or bureaucrats who use those funds for anything but road building and road repair. They’ve been stealing from the highway fund for years, while the roads deteriorate from over use.

[skinkinthegrass]

Spoken like a True Marxist Tampon.

[Macoozie]

Let the States add a tax, if their citizens vote for it through their representatives.
Eliminate any Federal tax. It is too far removed from the people
Then let market forces determine how people use that taxed fuel. If I choose an electric car, and don't use any taxable fuel, don't tax me. If my trucks are taxed within a state, the delivery charges for that state go up.
Close-to-the border folks will reveal marginal tax-avoidance behavior, as is always the case.
But STOP foisting these un-touchable, un-challengeable federal schemes.

[TYVets]

The government makes more money than the oil companies from the sale of gasoline.

Diesel fuel is taxed 6 cents per gallon higher than gasoline. That money goes for Deficit Reduction. Not for the nation's highways.

[Lou L]

I get so tired of people who want to raise taxes solely for the sake of raising taxes, solely to increase the size of government's coffers.

Things should be done for a reason, to achieve a specific goal. For these pro-tax, wanna-be do-gooders, their only reason to increase taxes--is to RAISE government revenues!

We know the government's broke, and we're in debt up to our eyeballs. But there's no reason to keep pouring drinks for the alcoholic.

[MrB]

You’ll find that sheeperals have an inherent assumption of the benevolence of government and the people that work in it.

This makes sense to them that we “might as well” “give” the government more resources to work with because it could ONLY make things better by doing so.

[SampleMan]

The Federal government should be paying for almost no road construction, so the federal gas tax should be about zero.

[oldtech]

Higher federal fuel taxes will only give them the incentive to spend more,which is the LAST thing we need.