Michigan Congressman Wants 50-Cent Tax Hike on Every Gallon of Gas

[Gan]

A Michigan congressman wants to put a 50-cent tax on every gallon of gasoline to try to cut back on Americans' consumption.

Polls show that a majority of Americans support policies that would reduce greenhouse gases. But when it comes to paying for it, it's a different story.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., wants to help cut consumption with a gas tax but some don't agree with the idea, according to a new poll by the National Center for Public Policy Research.

The poll, scheduled to be released on Thursday, shows 48 percent don't support paying even a penny more, 28 percent would pay up to 50 cents more, 10 percent would pay more than 50 cents and 8 percent would pay more than a dollar.

"I don't want to pay more, I don't think anyone wants to," said Karen Deacon, a motorist.

"I think that wouldn't make any sense," said Frankie Hoe, a motorist. "Ugh ... who's making the money from all this and where is that money going? Is it going to go green? I don't see any green things anywhere."

The automobile is the nation's biggest polluter; Americans use more gas than the next 20 countries combined.

More...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339589,00.html

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What a fucking stupid idea.

[crb]

John Dingell is an idiot, I'm ashamed he is from Michigan.

[radamanthys]

a little bit of Eurocentrism there. "HEY U GUIZE!!!111 IT WURKS IN TEH EUROPE! THEY PLAY LIKE A BILLION DOLLARSD A GALLON!!!!111"

People forget that a good chunk of the money-earning population commutes. Hell, some people's commute is bigger than some fucking european countries. The fact of the matter is that this country's economy is largely based on a.) affordable transnational trucking and b.) Suburbia; massive gas prices will cripple both areas.

[diethx]

Wow, what a dumb fucking idea.

[Parkbandit]

Obviously, you people don't care about the planet. Selfish bastards.

[Stanley Burrell]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/1119-fifty1.jpg

?!

[Warriorbird]

50 already taxes every gallon of Vitamin Water.

If anything current conditions should REDUCE gas taxes and encourage serious research into not being dependent on the Middle East and Hugo Chavez. This country needs affordable transportation to function well.

[LMingrone]

"I took a quart of water and sold it in bottles for two bucks,
Coca-Cola came and bought it for millions, WTF?"

[thefarmer]

"I took a quart of water and sold it in bottles for two bucks,
Coca-Cola came and bought it for millions, WTF?"

Who needs to hustle drugs when you can hustle big multinational corps?

[Lord Nelek]

I think Exxon-Mobile had some of the largest profits on record, something like 7 billion dollars for a single quarter.

Tax the fuck out of that. Not me.

[TheEschaton]

I don't think the proposed tax is supposed to be an economic sort of thing, but a disincentive to buy gas. Sort of line a "sin tax" on gas. Which is crazy - you need energy, you don't need cigs. And if there is no way to get our energy needs filled, then no one can work. Disincentive energy companies from pursuing petrol-based policies, not the people who have no other option if disincentivized.

[Keller]

The flip side is that (1) gas currently costs less than an efficient market would have it cost and (2) maybe a tax on gas would push cities like Los Angeles, or rather the citizens of the city of LA, to pressure the gov't into building functioning public transportation.

The single biggest reason I didn't even look for jobs in LA after living there for the last 4 years is that I refuse to pay city taxes to a city would rather build more interstates and highways than metro stops. Hell, half of the city doesn't have access to the metro even in it's inadequate state. If gas cost even more, you can bet the city gov't would feel even more pressure to expedite a line to the west side of the city.