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Mercnbeth -> RE: Panel urges 40 cent raise on gas tax (1/15/2008 9:44:57 AM)
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quote:
raise federal gasoline taxes by as much as 40 cents per gallon over five years
And????
Why not $4/gallon? Why not do it today? We can become more like China and see the cars on the 405 converted to bicycles. Maybe China can send us their old bikes in exchange for our cars. The environmentalists would be thrilled, and it would serve one of the biggest problems facing US citizens - obesity. If you have to walk or pedal to work, we'll all be healthier. Hey - even the pressure on the health system may be relieved!
Let's expand on the theme. If we raise the tax to $4/gallon the money can be used to fund all the social programs being espoused by most running for President. It would be cleaner and less subversive than manipulating the public into believing that the source of these new taxes won't be the middle class. I don't understand why a tax at the pump wealth redistribution program is perceived differently than any other. Because the taxes that would be required to fund these social programs, whether they be the 'save us from our stupidity' sub-prime mortgage people, or the 'I'd rather have cable TV and high speed on-line access than buy health insurance' people. The tax programs being 'sold' on the public don't have the same per gallon relativity, but why are they are less offensive? If some of these were passed and their price was proportioned to the cost of a gallon of gas it would far exceed $.40/gallon.
Yeah - I know the targeted groups for these tax proposals are the "usual suspect"; 'Corporations' and 'The Rich'. It's not a coincidence that most of the 'rich' derive most of their lifestyle from a Corporation. The rich give their UM's and everyone in their family a Corporate credit card for gas; all tax deductible because while out they are 'marketing'. I remember one guy who wrote off most of his yacht expense as a tax deduction. He owned a few funeral homes in the City, and always brought a guest with him. When he was audited he said, everyone was a potential customer - deduction approved.
Raise the tax $.40 and guess what, the product that the "poor middle class" consumer buys includes a proportionate share of that tax in the product/service of the Corporation. It has NO impact on the target. It has a greater impact the lower you are on the income scale. You'll be paying $.40/gallon more on gas to get to a store where you'll pay the extra fuel cost for every link in the delivery chain to bring the product to you, plus the budgetary increase in end product cost to compensate for maintaining the budgetary Corporate ROI, ROA.
Admittedly its easier to 'see' in the example of a gallon of gas. Why the same can't be observed in any of the other 'tax the rich' schemes being floated is beyond me. Wait, come to think of it I do think I know. It's the 'good intent'-ionaires buying into the scheme and drinking the kool-aid because...
...well that's one 'because' whose rationalization I can't comprehend.
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