Senators propose 12-cent gas tax increase

[mtm1963]

i am not against the tax increase on gas because its needed but what we need to do is to have all tax dollars go into the general fund to pay for the needs of the country in stead of having a tax to fund this or that(SS and medicare are other examples).

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress' struggle to pay for highway and transit programs.

The plan offered by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., would raise the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4-cents-a- gallon diesel tax by 12 cents each over the next two years, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation.

http://news.yahoo.com/senators-propose-12-cent-gas-tax-increase-161747827--finance.html

 

[clownboy]

The only problem with this is the same one California and Oregon have. Raise the gas taxes to pay for road maintenance - people react by driving less and buying less gas - before too long the revenue generated drops and they need to raise the gas tax again. Rinse, repeat.

Not to mention it disproportionately affects the poor.

 

[JayDubya]

More taxes? Hell no.

 

[mtm1963]

The only problem with this is the same one California and Oregon have. Raise the gas taxes to pay for road maintenance - people react by driving less and buying less gas - before too long the revenue generated drops and they need to raise the gas tax again. Rinse, repeat.

Not to mention it disproportionately affects the poor.

if it is phased in over several years(3-4 cents per year), people will not notice.

 

[clownboy]

if it is phased in over several years(3-4 cents per year), people will not notice.

The poor who manage transport on an extremely thin margin will.

 

[mtm1963]

More taxes? Hell no.

you have to maintain the roads/bridges we travel on.

what we need to do is to STOP building more of them and take care of the existing infrastructure.

 

[mtm1963]

The poor who manage transport on an extremely thin margin will.

look at it as a price increase due to the price of oil going up.

12 cents is a small increase when you consider the spike of gas prices back in the mid 2000's when that price went to nearly $5 a gallon in some places.

 

[Gaius46]

What are the federal gas taxes currently being collected being spent on?

 

[clownboy]

look at it as a price increase due to the price of oil going up.

12 cents is a small increase when you consider the spike of gas prices back in the mid 2000's when that price went to nearly $5 a gallon in some places.

Once again you're raising the floor and a bunch of people now fall into the basement. This is precisely why we have a graduated income tax, because SCOTUS ruled the previous excise taxes disproportionately affected the poor.

 

[mtm1963]

What are the federal gas taxes currently being collected being spent on?

for the purpose of tax, road infrastructure.

 

[MMC]

Yeah, that will help the Middle class and the poor huh? Get some more money into the economy. As they keep looking for some at election time. Which theres always one going on somewhere.

Damn Senators!

 

[Gaius46]

for the purpose of tax, road infrastructure.

thx. If the gas tax money currently being collected is already being fully allocated to road maintenance and it isn't enough then the tax increase makes sense.

 

[ludin]

look at it as a price increase due to the price of oil going up.

12 cents is a small increase when you consider the spike of gas prices back in the mid 2000's when that price went to nearly $5 a gallon in some places.

Yes and it caused major price increases the thing about that was it went back down.
the 12 cent increase is a bottom line increase.

that is on top of all the other local taxes and city taxes that are on gas already.

the added 12 cents means higher prices on everything else. as shipping companies etc ... have to compensate for the extra money. you also have to remember it is per gallon.
when driving a semi truck full of goods that 12 cents becomes very expensive.

 

[tres borrachos]

The nasty Democrats who control the once great Live Free or Die state just raised our gas taxes. I've had enough.

Chris Murphy needs to drive around his state once in a while and see how high the CT gas prices already are. Dumbass.

Find the money from somewhere else.

 

[Gaius46]

Yes and it caused major price increases the thing about that was it went back down.
the 12 cent increase is a bottom line increase.

that is on top of all the other local taxes and city taxes that are on gas already.

the added 12 cents means higher prices on everything else. as shipping companies etc ... have to compensate for the extra money. you also have to remember it is per gallon.
when driving a semi truck full of goods that 12 cents becomes very expensive.

Our transport infrastructure is in horrible condition. How do you propose to pay not only for badly needed repairs and future upkeep? Having those that use the infrastructure pay for it - and roughly in porportion to their use of it - seems fair to me.

 

[mtm1963]

Once again you're raising the floor and a bunch of people now fall into the basement. This is precisely why we have a graduated income tax, because SCOTUS ruled the previous excise taxes disproportionately affected the poor.

15% of the population is considered poor. the other 85% is not considered poor.

i'll make the bet that those who are considered poor(15%), pay far less then that percentage of this tax then those who not considered poor.

 

[CanadaJohn]

i am not against the tax increase on gas because its needed but what we need to do is to have all tax dollars go into the general fund to pay for the needs of the country in stead of having a tax to fund this or that(SS and medicare are other examples).

---------

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress' struggle to pay for highway and transit programs.

The plan offered by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., would raise the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4-cents-a- gallon diesel tax by 12 cents each over the next two years, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation.

http://news.yahoo.com/senators-propose-12-cent-gas-tax-increase-161747827--finance.html

Here in Ontario, Canada, by comparison, we pay about 40 cents a litre - the equivalent of $1.60 a US gallon - in tax at the federal and provincial levels combined. And our taxes tax taxes - in other words, the sales tax is charge on the price, including the flat taxes that are included in the price and every time the cost of oil spikes, the amount of taxes paid spikes along with it.

That said, these taxes currently, basically, go into the black hole of "government revenue" while bridges, roads, and other automobile infrastructure goes wanting for repairs. These taxes which were supposed to be used to maintain transit infrastructure - as well as all driving and car licensing fees doing so also - yet it just goes to cover up the incompetence of governments of all stripes to fund core services.

Most drivers wouldn't mind taxes on gasoline if they were targeted solely to transit infrastructure - we'd even include public transit if it kept roads in good repair and moving.

 

[iguanaman]

The only problem with this is the same one California and Oregon have. Raise the gas taxes to pay for road maintenance - people react by driving less and buying less gas - before too long the revenue generated drops and they need to raise the gas tax again. Rinse, repeat.

Not to mention it disproportionately affects the poor.

Buying more fuel efficient cars and using mass transit instead of driving are good things. We need to use less and less gasoline but still need the roads and bridges maintained. How else but by raising taxes? The poor don't usually have cars.

 

[mtm1963]

Yes and it caused major price increases the thing about that was it went back down.
the 12 cent increase is a bottom line increase.

that is on top of all the other local taxes and city taxes that are on gas already.

the added 12 cents means higher prices on everything else. as shipping companies etc ... have to compensate for the extra money. you also have to remember it is per gallon.
when driving a semi truck full of goods that 12 cents becomes very expensive.

this increase is very minor when you consider the ups and downs of the price of gas in the past decade.

check this out. this affected ME!!

Gas prices head toward $5; continued supply problems expected » Knoxville News Sentinel

 

[Deuce]

Gasoline taxes haven't increased (federally) since 1993. Roads haven't gotten cheaper.

 

[CRUE CAB]

Yea, we need to pay more in taxes. I really was worried about all the extra money I had.

 

[mtm1963]

Here in Ontario, Canada, by comparison, we pay about 40 cents a litre - the equivalent of $1.60 a US gallon - in tax at the federal and provincial levels combined. And our taxes tax taxes - in other words, the sales tax is charge on the price, including the flat taxes that are included in the price and every time the cost of oil spikes, the amount of taxes paid spikes along with it.

That said, these taxes currently, basically, go into the black hole of "government revenue" while bridges, roads, and other automobile infrastructure goes wanting for repairs. These taxes which were supposed to be used to maintain transit infrastructure - as well as all driving and car licensing fees doing so also - yet it just goes to cover up the incompetence of governments of all stripes to fund core services.

Most drivers wouldn't mind taxes on gasoline if they were targeted solely to transit infrastructure - we'd even include public transit if it kept roads in good repair and moving.

what government needs to do is to properly spend the money where is it needed vs spending it where its politically motivated only to get votes.

 

[CanadaJohn]

what government needs to do is to properly spend the money where is it needed vs spending it where its politically motivated only to get votes.

Governments, however, appear to be incapable of this simple goal, which is why most conservatives resist strongly any attempts to increase taxes no matter how worthy the reported rationale.

 

[DaveFagan]

i am not against the tax increase on gas because its needed but what we need to do is to have all tax dollars go into the general fund to pay for the needs of the country in stead of having a tax to fund this or that(SS and medicare are other examples).

---------

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress' struggle to pay for highway and transit programs.

The plan offered by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., would raise the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4-cents-a- gallon diesel tax by 12 cents each over the next two years, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation.

http://news.yahoo.com/senators-propose-12-cent-gas-tax-increase-161747827--finance.html

How about a "Transaction Tax" on all stock, bond, commodities, hedges, loans, and all other financial instruments. The gas tax hits low income disproportionately. Time to cancel the one tenth of one percent "free ride" by the real welfare queens and freeloaders.

 

[clownboy]

Buying more fuel efficient cars and using mass transit instead of driving are good things. We need to use less and less gasoline but still need the roads and bridges maintained. How else but by raising taxes? The poor don't usually have cars.

No, you're wrong. The whole thing exists on a range. Every time you raise the floor more fall into the poor without a car part of the range. That means everything is more difficult and more expensive. The folks who were poor without a car and through hard work pulled themselves up to being poor with a car just got kicked down the range again. Not to mention, you just breathed new life into all those less efficient vehicles. Because in the range just above the poor with a car are folks who cannot afford to buy a new, fuel efficient car. So what do they buy, the older and older used not fuel efficient car.

Btw, the commercial transportation sector is the largest user of petro fuels.