[quadzillajim]

LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- Think gas prices are too high? The head of GM thinks we should pay a dollar more a gallon.
Dan Akerson says raising the gas tax by a dollar a gallon would force Americans to buy smaller, more fuel-efficient cars which would be a boost to the auto industry.
Right now the federal gas tax is just above 18 cents a gallon.
GM does acknowledge a hike would be difficult to pass, and isn't going to actively push for it.
Automakers are facing tighter fuel economy regulations and by 2025, they may have to hit fuel economy averages of as much as 62 miles per gallon.

I think a better better way to push people to buy smaller more fuel-efficient cars would be to put a fuel burner tax on new cars and trucks that get bad mpg. Let's say a truck averages 20 mpg and over it's lifetime it will go approximately 150,000 miles. If my math is correct it will burn 7,500 gallons of gas. At $1/gal put a tax of $7,500 on it. I believe that the initial purchase price of a vehicle has a far bigger influence on which vehicle they purchase, than mpg considerations.

[SeaGypsy]

Yes, yes and yes. But it won't happen. Sacreligeous language at the altar will not be tolerated even here at PO.Com. DUCK....

[ColossalContrarian]

They couldn't make money on cheap gas, now they can't make money on expensive gas. F* you Amerika, if you don't buy our crap we'll make gas more expensive. Very patriotic thing to do after bailing those sons of b!tches out!

[careinke]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

[SpockLives]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

+1

I would support the idea of taxing crude to some floor price as well, but $1/gal extra tax to teach the average low life yuppy hummer driver a lesson is a winner in my book.

[ColossalContrarian]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

+1

I would support the idea of taxing crude to some floor price as well, but $1/gal extra tax to teach the average low life yuppy hummer driver a lesson is a winner in my book.

Don't forget where those tax profits will be going! Probably some bloated union.

[SpockLives]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

+1

I would support the idea of taxing crude to some floor price as well, but $1/gal extra tax to teach the average low life yuppy hummer driver a lesson is a winner in my book.

Don't forget where those tax profits will be going! Probably some bloated union.

Does it matter where it goes? It's time to force all those who enjoy cars and driving and whatnot into a solution of our choosing, i.e. stop driving around and wasting crude already! Such behavior must stop!

[Cog]

The use of additional fuel tax to alter behavior implies that something useful is to be gained by cutting consumption. That usefulness, not stated here is that we will make some sort of gradual transition to a lower energy regime and we will all go into the future happy to have done so. The future is going to be brutal and violent and we will consume every bit of fuel we can get our hands until we can not.

After the die-off you can have your power-down but it will never be done willingly as long as people can vote for politicians who promise them happy motoring forever.

[Cloud9]

The hubris of all central planners is the assumption that they alone can make the correct decision. Why is it hubris? The answer is because it is impossible any man or group of men to know all the facts. Go ahead and raise gas prices by another dollar. You are not going to force people into buying smaller cars. You are instead going to quicken demand destruction in an already dying economy.

[ColossalContrarian]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

+1

I would support the idea of taxing crude to some floor price as well, but $1/gal extra tax to teach the average low life yuppy hummer driver a lesson is a winner in my book.

Don't forget where those tax profits will be going! Probably some bloated union.

Does it matter where it goes? It's time to force all those who enjoy cars and driving and whatnot into a solution of our choosing, i.e. stop driving around and wasting crude already! Such behavior must stop!

Brilliant, maybe there's a tax we can impose to force everyone to live in huts?

[SpockLives]

After the die-off you can have your power-down but it will never be done willingly as long as people can vote for politicians who promise them happy motoring forever.

Die off? Because soccer moms can't haul little Billy-Bob to practice in an SUV? I doubt it. And while politicians may promise everything, Americans are already well aware how full of crap they are, what they promise is irrelevant when they obviously can't provide it.

Happy motoring has already taken a dent, and needs even more of a kick in the privates to make sure no one is confused.

[SpockLives]

Don't forget where those tax profits will be going! Probably some bloated union.

Does it matter where it goes? It's time to force all those who enjoy cars and driving and whatnot into a solution of our choosing, i.e. stop driving around and wasting crude already! Such behavior must stop!

Brilliant, maybe there's a tax we can impose to force everyone to live in huts?

I'll bet there is! Lets tackle some real bad behavior though, go after smokers next, or obese people?

[Tyler_JC]

The highway trust fund is nearly broke and gas taxes are only paying for about 70% of road maintenance.

We need higher gas taxes just to keep up with inflation and maintenance on existing infrastructure.

I fully support raising the gas tax. Drivers should pay for the roads they use.

[SpockLives]

We need higher gas taxes just to keep up with inflation and maintenance on existing infrastructure.

Darn right we do. We need to make drivers pay through the nose for the privilege of having private motorcars, and the sooner we elect more people to make us do what is good for us, the better!

I fully support raising the gas tax. Drivers should pay for the roads they use.

Bet your butt. And while we're fixing things, I think smokers and obese people should pay much more for their health care to. Maybe double or triple the Medicare deductions for anyone who doesn't fit within some reasonable health guidelines, established by the most well meaning of people from the current administration.

[dolanbaker]

*cough*
Europe
*cough*

[pup55]

But it won't happen

Yes it will. It'll be imposed sometime between now and about 2015, by the King of Saudi Arabia.

Instead of the money going to our roads, it'll go into his bank account, which some of his sons will use to fund the next round of terror activities.

It'll work to discourage consumption, allright. The reduction in demand in the US since the peak of pricing in 2007 is well documented by TheDude and others, and it is real: fewer vehicle miles driven, overall lower consumption, I think about 5%.

130 billion dollars per year, at 8.5 mbpd. That would almost solve a lot of our problems... but how to spend it? Education? Health care? Defense, to protect our supply lines from the very people that we give the money to in the first place?

[Pretorian]

If I have to pay taxes, let them all be consumption taxes. Great idea, lets do it.

If you have fleece on your back, you will be sheared, in one way or another, no matter what. Sorry.

[Pretorian]

130 billion dollars per year, at 8.5 mbpd. That would almost solve a lot of our problems... but how to spend it?

oh i wouldn't worry about that..

[Tyler_JC]

We need higher gas taxes just to keep up with inflation and maintenance on existing infrastructure.

Darn right we do. We need to make drivers pay through the nose for the privilege of having private motorcars, and the sooner we elect more people to make us do what is good for us, the better!

I fully support raising the gas tax. Drivers should pay for the roads they use.

Bet your butt. And while we're fixing things, I think smokers and obese people should pay much more for their health care to. Maybe double or triple the Medicare deductions for anyone who doesn't fit within some reasonable health guidelines, established by the most well meaning of people from the current administration.

Why shouldn’t drivers pay for the roads they use?

Isn’t it “socialism” to have non-drivers pay taxes to subsidize drivers?

[SpockLives]

Why shouldn’t drivers pay for the roads they use?

They should. Lock, stock and barrel. But I also like the idea of balancing rates for things like health insurance on the same basic principle, people who don't take care of themselves, and use lots of expensive health care because they refuse to comply with some basic principles or are just genetically unlucky, should pay more.

Isn’t it “socialism” to have non-drivers pay taxes to subsidize drivers?

Yup. Maybe we should take the money from a $1/gal tax and give it back to regular Joes who don't drive on their tax returns, sort of like Alaska does with its oil income?