Suspending the Federal Gas Tax
Most of you have probably heard that suspending the federal gas tax this summer may not be such a hot idea (no pun intended). In the spirit of education, below are Jonathan Alter’s (Newsweek) reasons why it’s a bad idea. I don’t want to use this space to discuss my political views, so I will remove the candidate names that Alter refers to.
- It’s a direct transfer of money from motorists to oil companies. If the federal excise tax were lifted, oil companies would simply raise prices and pocket most of the difference. (The candidate’s) proposal to recover the $8.5 million with a windfall profits tax on oil companies sounds nice but won’t happen. Besides, (the candidate) already committed that money to developing renewable energy.
- It offers taxpayers only peanuts. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials says that average savings to motorists would be $30. That measly number was somehow not included in (the candidate’s) explanation of (their) support.
- It sends more hard-earned money to the Middle East, which is terrible for our national security. Remember, 15 of the 19 terrorists on 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia. How did they get the terroist training? Oil money.
- It makes it more likely you’ll have a car accident or waste even more time in traffic. The proceeds from the gas tax go for highway construction and upgrades. Because the tax was last raised 15 years ago, our infrastruction is a mess, with potholes and dangerous crossings practically everywhere. Thousands of repair projects will be further delayed.
- It will cost 300,000 construction jobs, according to Transportation. Which makes it kind of ironic when (the candidate) starts (their) rallies saying (they) want "jobs, jobs, jobs."