Is a Gas Tax In Need For U.S.?

With all the talk about the economy and how it continues to work itself out, economists are working to come up with solutions that will help it get going again. One solution is to add a gas tax to the already low gas prices. The idea is that the tax would go to help repair America’s highways and roads. 

CNN Money Reports

Does the Country Need A Big Gas Tax?

My Thoughts

I have heard this idea being talked about in a couple different places. One place that I heard this was on a recent podcast episode of CarTalk. Tom and Ray, the hosts, made the argument for the gas tax as a positive. They recognized that the roads here in America have been neglected and that the gas tax would be a big help to resolve that issue. In theory, it would also put people to work, which is a crucial task at this point and time. They also make the argument that it should be no more than .50 cents and that there would be a cap.

Sounds Good In Theory

This gas tax of no more than .50 cents sounds pretty good to me. Paying somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.50 doesn’t seem too bad compared to nearly $5.00 a few months ago. However, have you noticed gas prices slowly rising even though crude oil continues to fall, the latest being 12%? This seems to show that while demand has slowed, we as consumers are still going to be at the mercy of the oil companies. In my neck of the woods, in just the last two weeks, gas prices have risen from $1.97 for premium up to $2.29. If the prices are going to continue to rise and fall, then a gas tax on top of that variable price makes it less enticing. 

Need More Information

In order for this to be considered, I think there needs to be a lot more information as to how this gas tax would work. If it meant that the price of gasoline would stabilize, it might make a difference. Let me know your thoughts on this issue below. 

Resources

Gas Buddy - check on gas prices in your local area

Does the Country Need A Big Gas Tax? - CNN Money’s article on a possible gas tax