Gas in my home area fell today to $2.99 per gallon. It's been ages since I'd seen it this low, and I had to do a double take to make sure I'd seen the sign correctly. It was confirmed as I passed another gas station on my way to work that indeed, the price had actually dropped.
So, now that gas is "cheap" again, should Americans go out and go hog wild buying gas guzzlers and being inefficient with our cars? I vote no. In fact, I propose something that most political candidates would not because it would be unpopular. That is...raise the gas tax.
John McCain, who has earned my vote in this election for his stance on issues I deem most important, has suggested eliminating the gas tax during the summer season. Sarah Palin, in her home state of Alaska, has fought for and successfully implemented a similar measure.
Barack Obama has smartly avoided the issue for the most part. However, he did say that he thought John McCain's and Hillary Clinton's calls for gas tax suspension was simply a political move to try to gain votes. And I think on this he is right.
Americans are used to higher gas prices. We've begun the adjustment process. Demand has fallen. The market price has adjusted. But, with the price falling, I fear Americans will fall back into our old, comfortable pattern. This is not good for our well-being as a country, or as inhabitants of this Earth.
In order to dis-incentivize that from happening, I propose that the gas tax be tripled from its current figure of 18.4 cents per gallon to 55 cents per gallon. I would place one strong caveat on this, though, and that is that all money raised via this tax would go to research to find sustainable forms of energy to displace gasoline as the primary fuel for our cars. Well, that and for the maintenance of roads, as less money has been coming it for that purpose as less fuel has been purchased.
I'm not the only person who feels this way. The NY Times opined back in 2005 to raise the tax. And as recently as March 2008, the Boston Globe ran a story calling for higher gas taxes, though for different but still valid arguments than I've made.
What ultimately matters, though, is what our elected politicians think. They won't act unless it is necessary, and even then they would really like to see a call for it from the public. They know that if the public isn't behind it, they won't get re-elected.
What do you think?
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1 comment:
If politicians would use that tax for such purpose, it would probably work, however history shows anytime they get tax monies, some politician will come along and borrow it for some other cause. We will have paid more taxes, and the problem would still exist.
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