x7_z99_431@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> As in previous years, I got my ass whipped in my latest attempt to
> suggest on Daily Kos that gas taxes should be increased, despite the
> fact that the place is completly dominated by Obama fans and Obama's
> solid stance against the gas-tax holiday.. Some commenters kindly
> called me a "rich elitist **** from Europe" (guilty on all counts, of
> course) for wanting to bankrupt poor Americans who cannot do without
> gasoline, preferably cheap, and are already struggling mightily.....
>
> And that was despite my acknowledging upfront that a gas tax increase
> is politically deadly, and highly regressive, and my corresponding
> suggestion to make it part of a plan to (i) directly sup****t those
> hardest hit by revenue transfers and (ii) use the money raised to
> invest in alternatives (public trans****t, renewable energy)
So don't do it that way. Make a gas tax that isn't regressive.
How about this: You put in, say, a $3.00/gallon tax on gasoline, and you
give every voter (every citizen? every legal resident? Probably ever
voter) a special gift card. They collect the taxes on gasoline, and
every month they count the money and divide it by the number of voters,
and they credit each voter the same amount, regardless of how much
gasoline he bought.
So it isn't regressive by income. People who use less gasoline than the
average get more money than they put in, to spend however they want.
People who use the average amount get to watch themselves buying
$7/gallon gas, but they get it back at the end of the month. Something
to think about. People who burn a lot of gas -- they get to pay for it.
Cor****ations pay the tax and pass it on to consumers. The more gasoline
they burn the more their products cost. Companies that find ways to
economise get to pass the savings on to you or else enjoy the profits.
The choice is theirs.
People who think they burn less gas than the average should be for the
idea, even if they're poor. Like people who don't own cars ... they can
get a nice little gift every month and they can tell all their friends
it's to help the conservation effort.
It would cost the government money to set up the program and administer
it, since it wouldn't be self-funding. But worth it.
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