Americans are finally catching a break at the gas pumps after more than 1,245 days of gas over a national average of $3 a gallon and what do members of both parties want to do, they want to tax you more on a gallon of gas.
Haslam, Corker and Washington D.C. want to talk about raising gas taxes. Tennesseans already pay 39.8 cents (18.4 federal and 21.4 state) on every gallon of gasoline they purchase, the national average is around 50 cents a gallon. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service identified federal, state, and local excise taxes as the second largest component of the price of gasoline. Tennessean’s purchase over 3 billion gallons of gas each year for total taxes of over 1.2 billion tax dollars. Government makes more from a gallon of gas than anyone else in the supply chain and all they had to do was pass a law. So if you think the oil industry is greedy and maybe they are but what does that say about the government.
Tennessee yields $657.8 million from the state alone and TN.gov points out each additional penny will yield another $30 million for the state and according to a Northeastern University study every 1 cent increase brings in an additional $1.8 billion for the federal government. According to the Tax Policy Center the federal government collected over $40 billion in 2011 and for many years a portion of the tax dollars didn’t go to the Highway Trust Fund, does that really surprise anyone.
Let’s not forget about the nonfuel road taxes such as the taxes on that new set of tire, truck and trailer sales and heavy vehicle use tax and the hidden payroll taxes involved in the production and distribution of gasoline.
Any increases in the gas taxes will be permanent and portions will slowly be diverted into the general fund then they will back for more. Tell these politicians no to any tax increases at all.
Mike Lynn
Cleveland
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The powers that be are thinking, "These slaves cannot get accustomed to affordable gas. Let's tax it back up to keep them down."
You know what would be genius? To let everyone move about freely and purchase more gas because it's low, which would yield the additional revenues they want.
We all know that gas will go back up in a controversy soon enough. Can't we just wait?
Taxed enough already,
Tim Giordano