Al Franken doesn’t think people would notice a 5-10 cent gas tax increase. Talk about being out of touch. Sen. Norm Coleman and a few Minnesotans would disagree.
It’s a good use of web video to make a good point. Taxes are high enough the way they are. The last thing government should do in a recession is raise taxes.
When people are noticing one cent increases and decreases I think you’re in the minority.
And you assume the government does best with the “rounding error.” The DC mass transit system always wants more and more money while at the same time the subways keep breaking down more and more.
The DC mass transit system always wants more and more money while at the same time the subways keep breaking down more and more.
Of course, the usual conservative response to this is “then cut the spending and just get rid of it” instead of “find people who will spend the money wiser,” but that’s another debate entirely.
That said, i agree that this isn’t exactly the smartest time to be further taxing what basically amounts to a necessity for many people.
You might be surprised to believe that I think DC is one of the few places were mass transit is really needed. You can’t pay me enough to drive in DC rush hour traffic. I can only cringe about how worse it would be if more people had to use the highways.
So the question then is “Why does mass transit management most often stink?” The answer is a lack of competition though I’m the first to admit I have no solution.
Today Lamar Alexander outlined an optional flat tax proposal. Sounds like the main thrust is to circumvent the tax cut expirations in ‘10.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_125885.asp
The only good tax is a repealed tax!
>>You can’t pay me enough to drive in DC rush hour traffic.
Hour? The only non-rush time seems to be between 11pm and 4am. One flat tire somewhere and I-95 or 395 is a parking lot for hours. I used to think Chi-town was bad…
[side bar: Sean, have you been to Arlington yet?]
Anyway….
Yes. Let’s tax gasoline some more. I mean, its not as if the 51.3 cpg we’re being taxed right now is all THAT bad. It’s only 15% of the current pump price. And – shhhh! – we can pull the wool over everyone’s eyes just like Frankn’ suggests by saying, ‘Lookee! When your pump price hits $5 your the tax rate will be 33% less!!”
But let’s not wait for that new increase in gas costs to show up in food prices this time. Let’s just start taxing food. As us Americans guzzle so much gas, we eat to much, too. So let’s use tax policy, ah-la Thomas Friedman, to stem that nasty habit as well.
15% seems ’bout right for starters.
Takers?
Why not?
MjM, I live in Arlington. The traffic around here isn’t fun. Last fall, I was driving home from a Thompson event west of Arlington on a Saturday night. I ran into traffic-stopping traffic…on a Saturday.
Sean,
I trust you’ve been thru the cemetery, then. If not, please do find an hour or two. It is both an awesome and humbling experience. Father-in-law resides there.
Bro-in-law and his wife/kids are in Woodbridge VA, down I-95, 40 or so clicks from you. Been there many-a-time – have played the golf courses at Andrews AFB and Quantico. He’s retired now (at 58!) but used to leave his house at 3:45am just to make sure he’d beat any of that D.C. traffic-stopping traffic.
Let’s see, 10 cents is roughly 2% of 4.07 dollars (the price of the last gallon of gas I bought). No, I wouldn’t notice much. A tank of gas (12 gallons) would go from US$48.84 to an even US$50.
The question is: what would the government be doing with that rounding error? Would it give me better mass-transit options? Bring it on, I say…