[lbo-talk] A Case for a Higher Gasoline Tax

jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com
Tue Jan 10 10:37:20 PST 2006



> The fact that disposable plastic bags are transported here
> from China suggests to me that even now, at over $60, oil
> is way too cheap.

So your solution to the 'problem' of Chinese plastic bags in a fancy food emporium in Manhattan is to tax the poor? I'm shocked :-)

Oil is "cheap" because it's plentiful and easy to extract, refine, and use; what's wrong with that? It's that old puritanical angle that creeps into your thinking now and again ... but sure, it begs the question of sustainability: I'm all for funding research into alternate sources of energy -- and whoever gets there first is going to make a bundle, so I'm sure the interests are aligned -- but we're sorta stuck with oil for today. Limiting access to it through arbitrary taxation seems like a lose. Why not turn that around and instead of giving tax credits to poor people, give them actual credits toward more efficient cars? The worse your car is, the better your credit is :-)

/jordan



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