Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

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

Posted on 12/04/2014 6:59:46 AM PST by 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.)

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: energy; gas; gasoline; tax; taxes
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-46 next last
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.
1 posted on 12/04/2014 6:59:46 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: C19fan

how about hell no


2 posted on 12/04/2014 7:01:01 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


3 posted on 12/04/2014 7:01:22 AM PST by Mr. K (Palin/Cruz 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yldstrk

What you said.


4 posted on 12/04/2014 7:02:56 AM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.d)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


5 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:02 AM PST by moehoward
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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.


6 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:12 AM PST by Tenacious 1 (POTUS shall now be referred to as POPOF. President Of Pants On Fire.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


7 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:12 AM PST by shove_it (long ago Orwell and Rand warned us of Obama's America)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


8 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:20 AM PST by allendale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Now would be a great time to cut spending.


9 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:28 AM PST by MUDDOG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Communists never surrender. They never compromise.

Unlike the GOPe.


10 posted on 12/04/2014 7:03:54 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K

“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.


11 posted on 12/04/2014 7:04:27 AM PST by DaveA37
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: yldstrk

12 posted on 12/04/2014 7:05:46 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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.


13 posted on 12/04/2014 7:06:45 AM PST by txrefugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
Spoken like a True Marxist Tampon.

14 posted on 12/04/2014 7:08:01 AM PST by skinkinthegrass ("Bathhouse" E'Bola/0'Boehmer/0'McConnell; all STINK and their best friends are flies. d8^)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
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.
15 posted on 12/04/2014 7:10:09 AM PST by Macoozie (1) Win the Senate 2) Repeal Obamacare 3) Impeach Roberts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
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.

16 posted on 12/04/2014 7:12:59 AM PST by TYVets
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan
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.

17 posted on 12/04/2014 7:14:43 AM PST by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lou L

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.


18 posted on 12/04/2014 7:16:31 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


19 posted on 12/04/2014 7:19:26 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

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


20 posted on 12/04/2014 7:20:49 AM PST by oldtech
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-46 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson