Posted on 11/04/2009 8:25:25 PM PST by Egg
DETROIT (Reuters) - There's a simple way to get Americans to drive fuel-efficient cars, according to auto executives, but they are not going to like it -- sharply hike the gas tax.
[snip]
Gradually raising gas taxes to the point where fuel costs $4 to $5 at the pump will do more to stimulate demand in next-generation vehicles like General Motors Co's forthcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid than any other policy initiatives...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Keep raising taxes and Americans won't have any money to buy your overpriced cars.
Raising taxes on Gas would drive people to be more efficient and consume less. But it would also kill the economy and reduce our lifestyles.
I say build nuclear plants, so that there is an abundance of energy. Provide that energy to hydrogen producers at variable cost, letting other energy consumers pay for the plant overhead, which they would be paying for anyway if nobody was producing hydrogen.
Get the cost of hydrogen fueled vehicles down to the equivalent of $1 per gallon of gas. Then you have a real incentive for people to convert to hydrogen and tell OPEC and the middle east where to put their oil.
Yeah, make Americans sink all their money into gas tanks and heat, leaving them starving and forced into bankruptcy, and then they will buy a smaller eco-car. Are these people born this stupid? Or did they have to work at it?
1) $4 or $5 per gallon fuel will conserve fuel and lead people to buy less fuel per year and more fuel efficient vehicles. That's been proven three or four times in the last four decades.
2) Add a $1 per gallon tax just to better fund the US military -- with even just the basics: more and better body armor, more ammo, new rifles, more close air support platforms, more C-17 airlift planes (so that our troops don't get hung out on the end of a vulnerable logistical thread), and better veterans' health care, etc. etc.
3) Add another $1 per gallon tax, the revenues to be turned over to States to fix roads and bridges (and no swiping that fuel tax for airports and mass transit rail, etc.)
No tell OPEC to get lost and rill our own oil!
No, absolutely not.
I second that ‘No, absolutely not.’
If domestic production is exempt from the defense tax, then that domestic production from wells, oil shale, coal, etc. will be more competitive.
Then the States add a $1 per gallon tax and keep it for themselves for roads and bridges.
Cut State pensions and payrolls before adding amy tax.
Sorry, I confused the well-known ‘amy’ tax with ‘any’ tax.
You have absolutely no clue whatsoever. Regarding statement number two, the US could have a defense budget of 1/10 what it is now and still be the most powerful military on the planet. There is so much waste and disapearing funds that it’s not even funny.
Good Idea, But you didn’t take it far enough.
Mandate that all federal Jobs have Pay parity with the private sector.
That will free up lots of Cash.
But then, who in Congress will vote for it?
The problem with $4 to $5 gas is that incumbents are in jeopardy of losing their office if this happens.
Just ask Republican incumbents in 2006, and to a lesser degree, John McCain in 2008.
When Gas Prices are high, people are pissed. It’s that simple. They blame it on anything and everything in sight too. Many people I work with were certain that the War was the reason for high gas prices and that’s the way BOOSH ‘The Oil Man’ wanted it...
It’s also a surefire way to kill their global warming malarkey. People don’t give a Rodent’s posterior about that stuff when they’re hurting, that’s why that agenda is failing now. They only care about it when there is nothing else to worry about.
“DETROIT (Reuters) - There’s a simple way to get Americans to drive fuel-efficient cars, according to auto executives, but they are not going to like it — sharply hike the gas tax.”
Buy an American car ? Never again !
Some days I feel like wasn’t born with enough middle fingers.
Time to buy another motorcycle , made in JAPAN
Queer the system and artificially raise prices as high as you (they) like - I will continue to drive. Of course at a certain point it will become cheaper to just *appropriate* it...
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