I missed the part about putting the gas tax dollars back in to make up for the missing payroll taxes.
Perhaps I should read his article again.
I do remember his idea ending up with $2 extra dollars of gas taxes.....four 50 cent increases over 2 years I think. He makes no mention of how certain industries such as trucking and airlines who are buckling under $4 gas will survive a 50% increase in their largest bottom line expense. Plus folks in the heartland who drive long distances to work and shop and have zero public transportation....not even taxis to share.
Maybe he would have us shift some money from SS and Medicare to cover all these groups? We could create a big shell game in the name of conservation, I guess.
At any rate, the European model just doesn't work here. He should know that. Geography, lack of public transportation, no high speed trains connecting major cities, etc. He wants to put half the equation on....the higher gas taxes....when the other half of the equation is missing.
Odd that Kraut makes no mention of speculation driving oil prices. In fact, I haven't heard a peep out of any of the right wing pundits even though plenty on Wall St. can see it.
Also, his opposition to conservation thru creating more fuel efficient cars??? Probably he opposes this because of cost to auto industry. But he's willing to add cost to the consumer with higher gas taxes.....bizarre.
Why is it that folks on the right have such an aversion to mandating fuel efficient autos? If the auto industry, in the name of the public good, would only tack on the incremental costs of improved fuel efficiencies to the price of a car, i.e. leave the profit margin off that portion of the extra cost, the average consumer could afford to buy one by virtue of the savings in gasoline expenses.....or so I've read.
Again, though, I just have to laugh out loud at the thought that someone, i.e. Krauthammer, would actually suggest taxing an already weakened consumer and an economy teetering on recession. And, it just occurred to me....how would the govt. implement the subsidizing of those consumers hurt by the extra gas taxes? Do we all turn in our gas receipts? Does someone in the IRS get the right to tell those who drive gas guzzlers that their payroll tax reduction is disallowed until they buy a more fuel efficient car?
These are just two of the many problems with implementation I can envision with his ideas. |
