Aaron Saray's Diary

The proposed gas tax holiday is a BAD idea

I've ranted about this before, but I just can't let this rest.

Both McCain and Clinton are on record for supporting the gastax holiday - a plan in which no federal tax is charged on fuel from memorial day to labor day.  This is about 18cents a gallon normally or something like that.  I don't remember the specifics.  Obama is against this.

First of all, I should clear this up: I'm not an obama, clinton or mccain supporter - so don't think this is being influenced by my personal feelings of the candidates.  Second of all, I was stupid and bought a car that only gets 18mpg on a GOOD day... AND IS FORCED to use premium - so I feel this fuel crunch.

Ok - so lets say we stop that gas tax - what that adds up to is about maybe 25 bucks MAYBE during that period.  What is 25 bucks over that period?  And thats just assuming that the gas cost doesn't go up.  Clinton detailed the plan as taking away the burden from the consumer - and adding it to the distributor (there were profit taxes suggested).  OK - so what this does is 1) save us about a tank of gas during that time if nothing changes  2) doesn't guarantee that gas companies won't raise it by 10 cents with the advertisement of 'its still lower than it was' 3) doesn't solve the problem in the long run (although a bill was passed that 2015 I think it was ... that we had to have a specific level of mpg in new cars produced)  4) causes extra paperwork - and cost to change the revenue collection method to a new system  5) possible lawsuits from 'big oil'  6) potential loss of jobs if we can't quickly equal out the revenue lost from those taxes (yes the money doesnt' just disappear - its used to fuel fed jobs)

I am glad that someone is intelligently arguing this stupid idea.