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Congress Discusses Increasing Gas Tax

Typical.

The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.
Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded — with a prod from the construction industry — that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs.

Now, lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel.

That’s your government at work, folks. 

Posted by Owen at 1109 hrs
Politics + Politics - General

1. Unfortunately this is necessary, and it isn’t just a grab from the construction industry.  I haven’t seen a single review of our national and state highway systems that doesn’t call for major investment over the next several decades.  We’ve got an aging infrastructure and growing demand, and it can’t be ignored based on some political wishful thinking that we can lower federal or state transportation revenues.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 19, 2008 at 1207 hrs




2. Lefty, how typical.  Why not cut programs instead of raising taxes.  How about the government living within it’s means.  How about cutting out pork spending and yes, reducing ome of the military budget to pay for these costs.  Why do you have to raise the taxes?

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 19, 2008 at 1316 hrs




3. We’ve got an aging infrastructure and growing demand

   Not if you actually READ the article Owen cited.

   In fact, the reason for increasing the gas-tax is that gasoline demand is going DOWN.  That translates to LESS highway usage, not more.

   Posted by dad29 on July 20, 2008 at 0754 hrs




4. Yes sir, congress…that’s the way to stimulate a down economy…more taxes. Ignoramuses.

   Ditto, Dan.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2008 at 0915 hrs




5. Sorry everyone, we have huge problems in transportation funding, not on the horizon, but on our doorstep right now.  We are looking at crisis levels of shortfalls, in amounts where cutting taxes in other appropriations and shifting funds isn’t a serious proposal.  Not to get all Al Gore the sky is falling, but when you are looking at between $9 and $12 billion in shortfall from the highway trust fund, and the age of our transportation infrastructure, and the needs we face, there is a problem.

   This isn’t a partisan issue, although both parties are trying to figure out how they can be on the right side of this without taking too much about the hard facts that we need a huge influx of revenue.  Take a look at who is lobbying congress on transportation funding, look at who is lobbying the state legislature.  You’ve got a lot interests, both direct and indirect, that traditionally back opposite sides of the partisan spectrum, signing out of the same hymnal right now to anyone who will listen.  There’s a reason for that.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on July 21, 2008 at 1022 hrs

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