19% of Americans want increased gas tax

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Should the Federal Tax on gasoline be suspended until prices come under control?
Yes  60%
No  24%

Survey of 1,000 AdultsJanuary 16-17, 2008
A proposal has been made to increase the Federal Gas Tax from the current 18 cents/gallon to 40 cents/gallon over the next 5 years. Would you favor or oppose such a proposal?
Favor  19%
Oppose  65%

This telephone survey of 500 adults each night was conducted by Rasmussen Reports March 11-12 and January 16-17, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points for each survey with a 95% level of confidence.

[dead0man]

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.


(I personally don't like any taxes, but this one wouldn't be the end of the world.  I wouldn't support it, but I wouldn't fight against it that hard either.)

[Хahar 🤔]

I don't like gas taxes, for the same reason I don't like sales taxes.

[specific_name]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

[dead0man]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

If 19% of Americans commuted via bicycle we wouldn't have an energy crisis.

[specific_name]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

If 19% of Americans commuted via bicycle we wouldn't have an energy crisis.

My tongue was firmly planted in my cheek. In all seriousness, I just find that a lot of the people who want gas taxes to be insanely high don't even drive and have no idea what it's like to live somewhere rural and have to commute. I drive about 70 miles a day, I would love to do it in a more energy efficient car, sure, but I'm not going to buy a new hybrid car (mine's on its last leg) if I'm unsure of its value in 5-8 years. It's the Edsil factor I'm worried about.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

If 19% of Americans commuted via bicycle we wouldn't have an energy crisis.

My tongue was firmly planted in my cheek. In all seriousness, I just find that a lot of the people who want gas taxes to be insanely high don't even drive and have no idea what it's like to live somewhere rural and have to commute. I drive about 70 miles a day, I would love to do it in a more energy efficient car, sure, but I'm not going to buy a new hybrid car (mine's on its last leg) if I'm unsure of its value in 5-8 years. It's the Edsil factor I'm worried about.

You do realize the Prius has been out in Japan for over ten years, right?

[dead0man]

Aye, hybrid technology is a quickly maturing technology.  I still have concerns about battery disposal, life and cost.  Hopefully a new "battery" is on the horizon, it would go a long way towards curing our transportation energy problems.  We have plenty of electricity and it's relatively easy to make more (if you can get the hippies out of the way) cheaply (again, relatively) and cleanly.  We have great electric motors that can easily pull a car at greater rates than we see today (or ever) as the electric motor is a very mature technology.  It's storing that electricity that is the problem, hop that hurdle and gas stations will become rare in a decade or so.  Hopefully they'll never outlaw the ICE powered personal transportation though.  It will probably become what the horse is today, a toy of the rich and a tool for the ultra poor.

How's that for a hijack?

[MODU]

This must be the 19% that commutes via bicycle.

Probably leftist environmentalists who don't think about the poor people who can't afford a new, more fuel efficient car, and needs to drive to work to put food on their plate.

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.

Are you going to buy me that new car? 

Seriously though --- to me --- a higher fuel price won't hurt my wallet.  I carpool into work each week, driving my own car into the office only two of those days, so I can go a whole week on one tank of gas.  But for those that have to drive long distances every day, it will be rough.  Plus, the same tax would most likely fall onto commercial vehicles as well, meaning you will end up paying more for your goods as a result.  Not really the best way to go.

If you really want to spur the desire for more efficient vehicles, you need to turn out the technology faster and in a larger volume in order to decrease the overall costs.  If you flooded the market with inexpensive hybrids that provided the same load capacity from small hatch-backs to large commercial vans, then you could see a flood of people buying new vehicles since the prices would be low.  However, you are now left with relatively good vehicles with traditional ICEs.  What do you do with them?  Well, you need to have a way to easily and cheaply convert them into more fuel efficient vehicles.  This is where the short-term money is actually found.  There are developers out there working on "kits" that you can attach to your current engine to increase your MPG.  One of the most unique kits requires just water, which can add 2 more MPG to your car.  Not too bad.  Some others add a standard battery pack in your trunk, though that adds additional weight and decreased cargo space.  Anyway, you get the point.  The 19% might be idealists (or ignorant), and fail to see the bigger picture.

[dead0man]

If you really want to spur the desire for more efficient vehicles, you need to turn out the technology faster and in a larger volume in order to decrease the overall costs. 

If they could do that, why aren't they?  The fact of that matter is that, last I read in Car and Driver, they were still losing thousands of dollars everytime they sell a hybrid.  It's been true of small cars in general for years.  It costs roughly the same to build your regular F150 as it does to build your average Focus, but the Focus sells for half what the F150 does.  The money makers are your "fancy" trucks like Escalades and what not.  Hybrids add a whole 'nother expensive layer of manufacturing and R&D.  The price will come down and the technology will improve in time, but flooding the market today with something you lose thousands of dollars on every sale would be a bad thing to do.

..and I won't have to buy you a car.  If you use a car, eventually you'll have to replace it.  As people replace cars with more efficient ones, over time it will make a difference.  I think it already is in places like California.

[MODU]

If you really want to spur the desire for more efficient vehicles, you need to turn out the technology faster and in a larger volume in order to decrease the overall costs. 

If they could do that, why aren't they?  The fact of that matter is that, last I read in Car and Driver, they were still losing thousands of dollars everytime they sell a hybrid.  It's been true of small cars in general for years.  It costs roughly the same to build your regular F150 as it does to build your average Focus, but the Focus sells for half what the F150 does.  The money makers are your "fancy" trucks like Escalades and what not.  Hybrids add a whole 'nother expensive layer of manufacturing and R&D.  The price will come down and the technology will improve in time, but flooding the market today with something you lose thousands of dollars on every sale would be a bad thing to do.

..and I won't have to buy you a car.  If you use a car, eventually you'll have to replace it.  As people replace cars with more efficient ones, over time it will make a difference.  I think it already is in places like California.

Part of that is due to the fact that US auto makers are in the tank to the Unions and are behind the time in modernizing their production facilities as a result.  So those additional expenses are passed down to the consumer.  That is why the Japanese automakers are overtaking the US market, and can even build the plants here and produce at lower costs (no unions).  Ford, for example, needs to come out one day and say that the will be doing away with union labor starting 1/1/2009, and take the heat for their decision.  However, once they have, and the protests stop, they will be in a much better position to lower their costs and become competitive again.  As far as the technology goes, the US manufacturers are still just toying with the systems.  They have no real incentive to innovate on a proven platform, and changing the taxes on gas won't impact that.  People will still buy their product.  It will take either new leadership of the company to cause the evolution, or the market itself will lead the shift.

[opebo]

I don't like gas taxes, for the same reason I don't like sales taxes.

I couldn't agree more - gas and sales taxes should be eliminated and replaced by much higher income tax rates on the rich.

I for one would not stop driving my large v-8 car just because of, say $4/gallon gas.  Then again I get it for free so it doesn't matter.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I don't like gas taxes, for the same reason I don't like sales taxes.

I couldn't agree more - gas and sales taxes should be eliminated and replaced by much higher income tax rates on the rich.

I for one would not stop driving my large v-8 car just because of, say $4/gallon gas.  Then again I get it for free so it doesn't matter.

All user fees should be eliminated in exchange for a progressive income tax system.  That way, the middle and lower classes pay less in taxes as a percentage of their income.

Then we can use the money that rich people pay in that would have come from an increased gas tax to build a high speed rail system which would do wonders for this country.

[dead0man]

I don't like gas taxes, for the same reason I don't like sales taxes.

I couldn't agree more - gas and sales taxes should be eliminated and replaced by much higher income tax rates on the rich.

I for one would not stop driving my large v-8 car just because of, say $4/gallon gas.  Then again I get it for free so it doesn't matter.

All user fees should be eliminated in exchange for a progressive income tax system.  That way, the middle and lower classes pay less in taxes as a percentage of their income.

Then we can use the money that rich people pay in that would have come from an increased gas tax to build a high speed rail system which would do wonders for this country.

Selfish assholes like opebo would still drive the smog machines.  May I suggest using the state to make him stop?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Tax or no tax, gas prices aren't coming down anytime soon.  I favor a higher gas tax, at least in this State, provided the money gets spent on improved roads.  However, since people have no faith that a gas tax will actually be used as a user fee for road maintenance and construction, it is not surprising that there is little support for the tax.

[ilikeverin]

Suspending the gas tax is a great idea!  Why, the best way to deal with our gigantic demand for oil is to increase demand for it!

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Suspending the gas tax is a great idea!  Why, the best way to deal with our gigantic demand for oil is to increase demand for it!

That wouldn't increase demand.  It'd lower cost.

[Verily]

Suspending the gas tax is a great idea!  Why, the best way to deal with our gigantic demand for oil is to increase demand for it!

That wouldn't increase demand.  It'd lower cost.

Same thing. Believe or not, people decrease consumption when prices go up--and would revert to higher consumption if prices went down.

[SPC]

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.

If hybrid cars were truly more efficient, than Americans would gradually transition to them without help from a gas tax hike

[dead0man]

Suspending the gas tax is a great idea!  Why, the best way to deal with our gigantic demand for oil is to increase demand for it!

That wouldn't increase demand.  It'd lower cost.

errrrr what?

[dead0man]

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.

If hybrid cars were truly more efficient, than Americans would gradually transition to them without help from a gas tax hike

Like they did in the 80s and 90s?  (not to hybrids of course,  but to other efficient vehicles that sold like matches in hell)  I'm not suggesting a gas tax is the only way or the best way to do it, but low priced gas has shown to NOT be a motivator to Americans to switch to more efficient vehicles.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Suspending the gas tax is a great idea!  Why, the best way to deal with our gigantic demand for oil is to increase demand for it!

That wouldn't increase demand.  It'd lower cost.

Same thing. Believe or not, people decrease consumption when prices go up--and would revert to higher consumption if prices went down.

It RESULTS in the same thing, but it's not the same thing.  Ask any economist or businessman.

[2952-0-0]

Because we all know that none of the petroleum companies will ever dare raise their gross prices to make up from this tax cut...and then raise the net price again when the tax cut expires...perhaps price controls will be in order.

[Ebowed]

It RESULTS in the same thing, but it's not the same thing.  Ask any economist or businessman.

Quite a meaningless distinction (and not even necessarily a correct one) for the purposes of this discussion, Inks.

[SPC]

Nothing will get us into smaller, more efficient cars faster than a high gas price.  If we as a nation think that's our goal, an increase in the Federal gas tax would be a viable option to consider to that end.

If hybrid cars were truly more efficient, than Americans would gradually transition to them without help from a gas tax hike

Like they did in the 80s and 90s?  (not to hybrids of course,  but to other efficient vehicles that sold like matches in hell)  I'm not suggesting a gas tax is the only way or the best way to do it, but low priced gas has shown to NOT be a motivator to Americans to switch to more efficient vehicles.

I concur; I just think that if it were truly a problem than the transition would happen without government intervention.