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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Steve Lokness who wrote (114165)	6/29/2009 3:39:37 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 543273

By lowering consumption of fossil fuels, a tax on fossil fuels would also help reduce CO2 emissions. Subsidies may make renewable energy sources more competitive with fossil fuels, but they do not encourage people to change their behavior. For example, if a subsidy were implemented for fuel-efficient cars, some people may choose to buy them, but the change would most likely cause people to drive more. When people use more efficient products, they justify using that product more. If instead a gasoline tax were implemented, people would strive to drive less and would also want more fuel efficient cars in attempt to reduce their gasoline usage. Thus less fossil fuels would be used, and new better technology would be demanded by consumers. Other countries have demonstrated that a gas tax decreases consumption of fossil fuels. Unlike the United States, European countries have taxed gasoline heavily for many years. Gas taxes in Europe are about 2.3 times higher than in the United States and make up more than 70% of the cost of gasoline while gas taxes in the United States make up less than 20% of the cost of gasoline. [6] Some think the United States is behind the rest of the developed world in gas taxes and could still compete competitively even if the tax was raised. In Europe, some of revenue from the gasoline taxes is used to fund public transportation and renewable energy projects. This is essential because in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the average person simply needs to drive less. Although overall CO2 emissions are higher in cities because of factories and industries, emissions per a person are much lower than in suburban America where people do not use public transportation. By raising the fuel tax, Americans would be encouraged to think before driving and the United States could be closer to ending their addiction to fossil fuels and to becoming a world leader in renewable energy sources. en.wikipedia.org