RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax

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RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax - 1/15/2008 12:00:28 PM

kittinSol

Posts: 16926
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If nobody likes the idea of imposing a further tax on fuel, here is another way to raise cash in order to ease congestion and repair bridges and other road infrastructures: take some of the money out of the defense budget.

Lord knows there'll still be tons left for a lot of unholy wars

.

I understand why people cry murder when there's a tax increase, although it would be more constructive to demand the government redistribute the (large amounts of) money it already juggles with. Don't we all realise that an enormous proportion of our taxes goes towards things that are totally useless in the long run, like war?

The United States' defense budget in 2007 was (hold on to your seats)... nearly $600 billion. That's the combined GDP of Sweden and Thailand. Or eight times the education budget.

quote:

The US government spent an estimated $573 billion on the military in 2007. The level of military spending has risen dramatically since 2001 (...). It is (...) reasonable to ask what the benefits might be to the U.S. taxpayers if some significant share of the $600 billion now going to the military were instead devoted to alternative domestic purposes, such as health care, education, or the environment.

http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/071001-jobcreation.pdf

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RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax - 1/15/2008 12:30:41 PM

KnOcala

Posts: 260
Joined: 12/19/2007
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Oil companies need to step up. Last year I believe it was Exxon that made over 100 billion in 1 quarter.
They need to be accountable and reasonable.

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RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax - 1/15/2008 12:36:32 PM

ownedgirlie

Posts: 9184
Joined: 2/5/2006
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Oops. Here's the chart:

http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp

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RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax - 1/15/2008 4:29:53 PM

sophia37

Posts: 1433
Joined: 2/7/2006
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How bizarre with the gas tax. Its totally not what I expected. I live in NY so when I go to PA I noticed the gas was always cheaper. I thought it was the taxes were less. Theyre not. Ive then gotten gas in Jersey since thats cheaper. And yes, the tax is less. But California I understood, costs more for gas than NY and theiy taxes are lower! So Im confused then as to the prices all over the board. I'll sure never get it straight.

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RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax - 1/15/2008 4:32:46 PM

Stephann

Posts: 4214
Joined: 12/27/2006
From: Portland, OR
Status: offline

sophia,

It's a question of distribution, and supply and demand. A town with two gas stations can put their heads together and agree to sell their gas for 20% more than they need to. A town with seven gas stations is going to start undercutting each other (though stations that aren't near any other can afford to bump their prices up a bit.) I have two stations within a mile. One is by the highway, and chargest 30 cents a gallon more than the one a block from my house, which isn't near they highway.

Stephan

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