🚀 go-pugleaf

Paul Roberts <proberts@lynx.informix.com> wrote:
>Now why is it that putting 25c/gallon on gasoline
>tax in the US would be political suicide, where as no-one seems to mind 
>very much that gas taxes in the UK are $3/gallon or more?  

I don't know about suicide, unless it is related generally to taxation.  
The question is, why would you want to tax gasoline more?  The answers: 

1. Distribute the money somewhere else?  Where?  I just wanted to buy gas. 
If you want to pay for roads you can ask me for money directly for that. 
If the company wants to clean up after itself, it can raise the price. 

2. Make people want to buy less gas?  Why?  If it's an environment
question, why not simply prohibit commuter driving and force people onto
transit systems?  Are we running out?  Well, let's run out if that's what
it takes to force a change (we're not running out). 

3. The Brits already put up with it.  I see no logic in this approach to
taxation. 

What I hear is that it is a good idea to gather money in this way because
so many people depend on the product, so you get lots of revenue with only
minor increases, and you could get lots of money if you really socked it
to 'em at the pump.  Who's getting this money and why?  Well, generally,
it's good to have money.  More money the better, I say.  Problem is, I'm
on the paying end in this deal, not the receiving side. 

>Is it simply
>that Americans love their cars that much more, or is it just that 
>familiarity breeds content?

What do you mean "familiarity breeds content"?  Americans aren't
necessarily in love with their cars, they are in love with money.  They
love cheaper gas more than expensive gas.  It doesn't change their love to
tell them that with every pump they are promoting something other than
combustion in their engines.  The general, commonsense proposition is that
people are happiest spending their money directly on the things they want
to spend on. 
-- 
Doug Mounce...Grant and Contract Services...
   ...Box 35-5754...206-543-4043...fax 685-1732