Any gas tax should be revenue neutral. Lower income taxes to offset the gas tax.Raising gas taxes is a great thing to do for the long term, but yes, no one wants to do it short term. I'd say we need to do the same type of tax on electricity. Then give the tax proceeds back 100% to the consumers. That is, it doesn't cost the average person more money, just the heavy energy users pay more and the low energy users actually pay less.
I can't believe I'm agreeing with TridenT, thats a first
Yes you can. Although you're correct in that its different the way they're rated, all you have to do is take real world numbers and compare them. As someone who has owned both several 90's Honda's as well as several recent ones, I can assure you they used to be quite a bit more efficient.
I don't care how the government rates them or changes the numbers around. If I drive a 1996 Honda Civic and a 2006 Honda Civic, identical models, and in an identical way, I will get better gas mileage with the older vehicle, even if I drove them both yesterday.
I don't care how the government rates them or changes the numbers around. If I drive a 1996 Honda Civic and a 2006 Honda Civic, identical models, and in an identical way, I will get better gas mileage with the older vehicle, even if I drove them both yesterday.
The frontier only makes 19 more HP than the 5cyl Colorado but gets 2-3less MPG.
That and I have a Titan and agree a smaller V8 would also work in it just fine. next gen will have a small V8 and maybe a diesel.
I seriously hope this becomes the norm soon.
I'm all for trucks for those that need it, farms, commercial, etc. But I cringe everytime I see a land yacht SUV with a kid in a car seat in the back and the person in the driver seat doing everything but driving which appears to be more than just the exception to the rule.
My Civic Hybrid gets 31mpg, even though it was promoted and advertised to get 42.
My Civic Hybrid gets 31mpg, even though it was promoted and advertised to get 42.
Anyone know what the ratio of goods transportation gas use:regular consumer gas use is? I doubt you'll see a fast adobtion of higher MPG semi trucks so the cost would also appear for consumers who buy anything transported by truck
I seriously hope this becomes the norm soon.
I'm all for trucks for those that need it, farms, commercial, etc. But I cringe everytime I see a land yacht SUV with a kid in a car seat in the back and the person in the driver seat doing everything but driving which appears to be more than just the exception to the rule.
I seriously hope this becomes the norm soon.
I'm all for trucks for those that need it, farms, commercial, etc. But I cringe everytime I see a land yacht SUV with a kid in a car seat in the back and the person in the driver seat doing everything but driving which appears to be more than just the exception to the rule.
A better reason to raise the gas tax is that the national highway trust fund is increasingly insolvent (and most state funds have experienced major revenue drops), requiring regular multi-billion dollar injections from the general fund.
Except the the 1996 civic would never pass crash test standards and have the safety equipment that the 2006 model has or pass emission standards of today. Nor would the buying public that has come to expect a certain level of refinement from smaller cars be willing to go back to the days where smaller cars were noisier, less nimble, and underpowered.
Anyone know what the ratio of goods transportation gas use:regular consumer gas use is? I doubt you'll see a fast adobtion of higher MPG semi trucks so the cost would also appear for consumers who buy anything transported by truck
Then spend the money more wisely. Rising taxes is never the answer. More responsible spending is the answer.
Raising gas taxes is a great thing to do for the long term, but yes, no one wants to do it short term. I'd say we need to do the same type of tax on electricity. Then give the tax proceeds back 100% to the consumers. That is, it doesn't cost the average person more money, just the heavy energy users pay more and the low energy users actually pay less.
You have to look at the long term yourself if politicians won't. At today's gas prices, and assuming normal use (12000 miles per year) and lifespan of a vehicle (15 years), a 25 mpg vehicle will consume $27,000 in gas while a 50 mpg vehicle will consume $13,500 in gas. A $3000 extra cost you mention is miniscule compared to those savings.
Sucks for those people who constantly buy new cars and sell them at big losses (they will have to front much of that $3000). But for the rest of us, that is a huge, huge cost savings.
Ok, that naturally goes into the topic of what roads do you want to live without.
Sprawl over the last 40 years has created a vast road network while vehicle mpg continues to climb and gas taxes haven't been raised along the way. Large chunks of the interstate system and state highway systems (particularly the expensive bridge parts) are at or past replacement age.
But government are the ones who mandated the higher fuel efficiency. See how they created this problem themselves all in the names of "be green!"
So your answer to better fuel economy is to tax more? When it's the taxers who mandated higher efficiency? HELL NO!