You thought wrong, Finial. The prebate is nothing like this out and out give away which is based upon nothing at all.
The prebate is a refund of some of the taxes paid while the gas rebate is based upon merely the purchase price of gas and has nothing at all to do with the taxes involved.
The Pubbies didn't raise gas prices to their present level and this is certainly a foolish idea and wouldn't "buy compliance" from anyone. Neither will the prebate which is a totally different concept as it represents a refund of taxes paid up to the poverty level rather than "buying compliance".