tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post8043473912066360163..comments2023-10-10T06:51:06.526-04:00Comments on Ryan's Take: The Gas Tax MathRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-74903671227558816842008-11-19T12:09:00.000-05:002008-11-19T12:09:00.000-05:00You say raising the gas tax a little is an incenti...You say raising the gas tax a little is an incentive to buy a more fuel efficient, better for the world car. True. Raising the tolls is an even better incentive for people to use public transportation which is an even better eco-friendly solution. Lobby for longer hours for public transportation. I'd love to have public transportation out here, but it is not available at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-33878086796200725022008-11-19T09:30:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:30:00.000-05:00True that an artificial spike in gas prices would ...True that an artificial spike in gas prices would result in an artificially high gas tax. In that case make make the gas tax a percentage tied to CPI, or limited to CPI.<BR/><BR/>Either way, static revenue meant to cover dynamic costs is a recipe for failure.<BR/><BR/>BTW - The more gas costs, the happier I am. Price pressure is the only thing that seems to spur serious talk of alternatives. Burning liquid dinosaurs is destroying the planet and causing us to export money, import debt, and engage in ill-conceived misadventures around the world. The sooner fossil fuels are gone, the better off we'll be.Mark Belangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08377845343337691704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-13962091159139077612008-11-18T05:31:00.000-05:002008-11-18T05:31:00.000-05:00So when we're in the throws of an OPEC or speculat...So when we're in the throws of an OPEC or speculation induced spike in the cost of gas, you're going to raise the cost even more? It would have gone up to 5 dollars a gallon in the recent past. Gas taxes and tolls are apples and oranges, one is for the general health of the roads in the state and one helps pay for specific sites which are used by a smaller proportion of the general populace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-9644838838599155052008-11-17T23:42:00.000-05:002008-11-17T23:42:00.000-05:00excellently worded.excellently worded.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04523572927796479670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15133926.post-24148439136069326602008-11-16T19:26:00.000-05:002008-11-16T19:26:00.000-05:00The gas tax was set at .21 per gallon in 1991 when...The gas tax was set at .21 per gallon in 1991 when gasoline cost an average of around $1.15 per gallon. That means the gas tax was around 18% of the total. <BR/><BR/>As gas prices(and everything else), increases, this figure drops. At $2.00 per gallon, our gas tax is 10.5%. At $3.00/gal it is 7%. So as time goes on, and the cost of maintaining roads and bridges increases naturally according to inflation, the fixed gas tax becomes less and less able to provide enough money to maintain the infrastructure.<BR/><BR/>The only sane thing to do, is to set the rate at a competitive .35 per gallon as a minimum, and hereafter make the gas tax a percentage. In theory, as cost go up according to inflation, gasoline and thus the gas tax revenues will increase as well. <BR/><BR/>It might be wise to set the gas rate to be a sliding value that changes according to inflation.<BR/><BR/>The cost of maintaining our infrastructure is not static - and gas tax shouldn't be either.Mark Belangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08377845343337691704noreply@blogger.com