The Real Patriot Act

I have to agree with the main point of this article to increase the gas tax. Given that it would be phased in incrementally and slowly with an equal overall decrease in income taxes spread across the board for both personal and corporate tax. While people complain about the taxes on gasoline they are currently not high enough to even pay for the support of the road system not to mention the offset of pollution created by gas vehicles. Right now America is essentially sending out a little welfare check every time someone fills up the tank in two ways. First by funding roads from income taxes and second from allowing those who want to pollute more than the average to pollute without expense. Why should the majority pay for the minority?

I must disagree that exceptions should be given to any individuals or industries. Why should they get any exemption if they use a resource (roads or fresh air) they should pay like everyone else? All taxes are eventually paid for by the end consumer and if a person wants their fresh produce trucked in from California they should pay for all the costs associated with that produce. Why should one industry be subsidized over another, let the market decide what it wants to pay.

Another bonus of the decrease of America’s gas consumption, that he fails to mention, is that a shift upwards in pre-taxed gas prices would have less of an overall effect on the economy because gas will become a smaller component of the economy.