Time to lower gas taxes
March 6th, 2022 at 1:04:39 AM
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With gas pump prices surging our state and local legislators should lower the sales taxes applied to fuel.
As an example, let's say the combined sales taxes in your area is 9-percent. When gas was $3 a gallon the sales tax was 27-cents.
At $4.80 a gallon, the 9% sales tax totals 43-cents.
The jump in oil and gas prices is giving governments an extra 16-cents per gallon, which is an extra $2.10 on a 15-gallon fill up.
The federal government should also consider lowering the federal excise tax of 18.3-cents on each gallon perhaps as a short term fix.
Remember this: with every dollar extra you pay about 9-cents of that is extra sales tax. In many cities the sales tax is north of 10-percent.
As an example, let's say the combined sales taxes in your area is 9-percent. When gas was $3 a gallon the sales tax was 27-cents.
At $4.80 a gallon, the 9% sales tax totals 43-cents.
The jump in oil and gas prices is giving governments an extra 16-cents per gallon, which is an extra $2.10 on a 15-gallon fill up.
The federal government should also consider lowering the federal excise tax of 18.3-cents on each gallon perhaps as a short term fix.
Remember this: with every dollar extra you pay about 9-cents of that is extra sales tax. In many cities the sales tax is north of 10-percent.
March 6th, 2022 at 2:11:23 AM
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The federal tax on gasoline is a flat tax per gallon. That has not increased since Bill Clinton was in office and is not affected by the price of gas.
Seeing how local and state governments have seen sales tax revenue plummet during covid, it seems strange to call for them to cut off any legit source of income.
Seeing how local and state governments have seen sales tax revenue plummet during covid, it seems strange to call for them to cut off any legit source of income.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
March 6th, 2022 at 6:25:46 AM
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Quote: billryanThe federal tax on gasoline is a flat tax per gallon. That has not increased since Bill Clinton was in office and is not affected by the price of gas.
Seeing how local and state governments have seen sales tax revenue plummet during covid, it seems strange to call for them to cut off any legit source of income.
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Agree. Any time someone suggests a tax cut, I ask…. what services shall we cut due to the loss of revenue? Or what other tax increase will we enact to make up for the tax cut you propose?
Probably best to close this thread…
March 6th, 2022 at 8:26:13 AM
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When I lived on Long Island there was talk of capping the sales tax on a gallon of gas. Nassau County makes it budgets based on projections so it was argued that a big increase in gas prices seems to indicate a surplus of funds, but the opposite is just as true.
There was some talk of instituting a maximum sales tax per fill up but that favored people driving huge vehicles with extra-large gas tanks. In the end, prices spiked, then returned to normal and after SuperStorm Sandy, other priorities arose.
I suspect local governments are going to have serious issues in the next few years and will be looking for increased revenue, not ways to decrease it. As electric vehicles grow in usage, the local government gets less in gas tas and road taxes. As EVs are currently owned mostly by people who are well off, it can quickly turn into yet another rich vs. poor discussion.
There was some talk of instituting a maximum sales tax per fill up but that favored people driving huge vehicles with extra-large gas tanks. In the end, prices spiked, then returned to normal and after SuperStorm Sandy, other priorities arose.
I suspect local governments are going to have serious issues in the next few years and will be looking for increased revenue, not ways to decrease it. As electric vehicles grow in usage, the local government gets less in gas tas and road taxes. As EVs are currently owned mostly by people who are well off, it can quickly turn into yet another rich vs. poor discussion.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
March 6th, 2022 at 11:12:37 AM
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Too many people drive as it is and there are many people who have no business driving from the 1st place. US should rely and invest more in public transportation like Europe and Japan. Leave the prices as it is. Or get a motorcycle or electric car.
March 6th, 2022 at 11:33:46 AM
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Quote: VegasriderUS should rely and invest more in public transportation like Europe and Japan.
Another one rides the bus
"What, me worry?"
March 6th, 2022 at 11:45:28 AM
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Quote: VegasriderToo many people drive as it is and there are many people who have no business driving from the 1st place. US should rely and invest more in public transportation like Europe and Japan. Leave the prices as it is. Or get a motorcycle or electric car.
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Unfortunately, "public transportation" is tax-payer funded with little oversight and virtually no accountability with cost overruns and inefficiencies. Amtrac, the postal service (quasi-govt), and most all current public transportation are not profitable and need continuous bailing out. They are all "money pits." We are a country of commuters and suburbanites. We cherish our freedom of movement and will not be confined or constrained which is the European and Japanese models do.
tuttigym
March 6th, 2022 at 11:45:56 AM
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Packing mass amounts of people into small pockets of population density like sardines for public transit: Helps reduce fuel, helps fuel mass shootings and mental health issues. Pick your poison.
March 6th, 2022 at 12:08:01 PM
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mQuote: tuttigymQuote: VegasriderToo many people drive as it is and there are many people who have no business driving from the 1st place. US should rely and invest more in public transportation like Europe and Japan. Leave the prices as it is. Or get a motorcycle or electric car.
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Unfortunately, "public transportation" is tax-payer funded with little oversight and virtually no accountability with cost overruns and inefficiencies. Amtrac, the postal service (quasi-govt), and most all current public transportation are not profitable and need continuous bailing out. They are all "money pits." We are a country of commuters and suburbanites. We cherish our freedom of movement and will not be confined or constrained which is the European and Japanese models do.
tuttigym
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Public transit and postal service are SERVICES, not businesses.
In the case of the postal service at times they aren’t legally allowed to make some of the decisions they would otherwise make if they were run as a business in order to attempt to be profitable.
It’s really chicken or the egg, are they always heavily subsidized or are we subsidizing private businesses utilizing them who don’t in some areas pay wages that don’t support someone driving a car or forced to pay true shipping costs for utilizing the services in their business.
March 6th, 2022 at 12:28:05 PM
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The government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
March 6th, 2022 at 1:49:54 PM
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Anyone who doesn’t like paying more taxes on gas is always free to drive less, drive slower, or drive a smaller or more efficient vehicle. Those things can do a lot to reduce the amount of gas tax someone pays. A lot more than internet debating can do.
March 6th, 2022 at 4:46:26 PM
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From reading the responses I can see that we have some people here who are unaware of the crisis affecting American families, and small business owners and fleet operators.
It must be wonderful living in a bubble where you dont have to drive 30 miles to your job, or make deliveries to your customers.
It must be wonderful driving an electric car or having a subway or bus system.
For a moment try to think about the average guy driving a ten year old car who cant afford to live near his job whose salary is not keeping up with inflation and just got hit with paying an extra 50-cents a gallon in about ten days.
Try.
It must be wonderful living in a bubble where you dont have to drive 30 miles to your job, or make deliveries to your customers.
It must be wonderful driving an electric car or having a subway or bus system.
For a moment try to think about the average guy driving a ten year old car who cant afford to live near his job whose salary is not keeping up with inflation and just got hit with paying an extra 50-cents a gallon in about ten days.
Try.
March 6th, 2022 at 4:52:46 PM
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Alan,
I feel your pain.
Inflation can hurt.
All the stuff the 9% surcharge is supposed to go towards buying also costs more now.
I feel your pain.
Inflation can hurt.
All the stuff the 9% surcharge is supposed to go towards buying also costs more now.
May the cards fall in your favor.
March 6th, 2022 at 4:59:47 PM
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Quote: DieterAlan,
I feel your pain.
Inflation can hurt.
All the stuff the 9% surcharge is supposed to go towards buying also costs more now.
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When there are riots, when crime rates shoot up, when your car is broken into and your gas is siphoned, then the privileged few will wake up.
March 7th, 2022 at 12:14:25 AM
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Quote: billryanThe government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
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I agree with your assessment on the post office. I think they should deliver only 5 or even 4 days a week .
Happy days are here again
March 7th, 2022 at 4:14:13 AM
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And what the free marketers who complain about public transportation (at least in the NYC area), never seem to realize is that every single subway, bus and rail line run by a public agency in the tri-state area was once a PRIVATE company that went belly-up.Quote: billryanThe government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
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March 7th, 2022 at 4:15:59 AM
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Quote: AlanMendelsonQuote: DieterAlan,
I feel your pain.
Inflation can hurt.
All the stuff the 9% surcharge is supposed to go towards buying also costs more now.
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When there are riots, when crime rates shoot up, when your car is broken into and your gas is siphoned, then the privileged few will wake up.
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Hey pal, my car needs a jump start at least as often as yours. That cell phone charger trick was learned the hard way. ;)
May the cards fall in your favor.
March 7th, 2022 at 4:22:26 AM
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Quote: HunterhillQuote: billryanThe government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
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I agree with your assessment on the post office. I think they should deliver only 5 or even 4 days a week .
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(sigh) The service would be plenty profitable (or at least covering costs) if they didn't give such a deep discount to junk mail.
Sorry for veering controversial.
May the cards fall in your favor.
March 7th, 2022 at 5:46:41 AM
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There are now legislative proposals in California, New York and Maine to suspend those states' gas taxes.
There is also a proposal to suspend the federal gas tax.
There is a proposal to lower the gas tax in Missouri.
There is also a proposal to suspend the federal gas tax.
There is a proposal to lower the gas tax in Missouri.
March 7th, 2022 at 6:04:24 AM
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Quote: billryanThe government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
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I nominate this post for worst post of the last 12 months
First of all, the post office doesn't deliver my personal stuff. My letters are sent and received electronically or wirelessly by phone. My packages are delivered to me by UPS and Fedex - all of which do make a profit. The post office delivers crap mail from spammers and marketers and from false-flag charities. I receive this stuff because I can't block it like I can block spam mail on email systems.
We can't get rid of the post office because the US constitution requires us to have it - it was an essential service of government 240 years ago. But that doesn't mean that it's not the most obsolete, low value organization. Fans of the US Post Office should huddle with Flat Earthers - because their advocacy involves the denial of reality.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
March 7th, 2022 at 6:12:11 AM
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Quote: gordonm888Quote: billryanThe government provides a worker to bring you your personal stuff six days a week and people complain the service isn't profitable?
The police department hasn't turned a profit in years, maybe we should cut it.
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I nominate this post for worst post of the last 12 months
First of all, the post office doesn't deliver my personal stuff. My letters are sent and received electronically or wirelessly by phone. My packages are delivered to me by UPS and Fedex - all of which do make a profit. The post office delivers crap mail from spammers and marketers and from false-flag charities. I receive this stuff because I can't block it like I can block spam mail on email systems.
We can't get rid of the post office because the US constitution requires us to have it - it was an essential service of government 240 years ago. But that doesn't mean that it's not the most obsolete, low value organization. Fans of the US Post Office should huddle with Flat Earthers - because their advocacy involves the denial of reality.
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It's sad when posters break the rules of the forum to bring in politics. It's pathetic when moderators do.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
March 7th, 2022 at 6:44:48 AM
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UPS, FedEx and Amazon all drop off packages ordered from them to USPS locations and have them delivered by them. Because it’s cheaper for them and ALLOWS them to manipulate logistics in order to profit, maintain delivery dates places they’d otherwise not be and be able to maintain their shedule if doing so since USPS is FORCED to go to the addresses frequently anyways. How frequently this is done depends on where you live.
Amazon has hacked this in rural areas while building up their own delivery in metros to the point they may very well drive UPS and FedEx out of business. If they decide they want to focus on driving them out of business, they probably can and will. They would otherwise simply not deliver or very infrequently deliver to many/most non metro areas. I get that lifelong city boys may not understand these things or pretend these places and people do not exist. USPS HAS to deliver to those areas frequently.
Amazon has hacked this in rural areas while building up their own delivery in metros to the point they may very well drive UPS and FedEx out of business. If they decide they want to focus on driving them out of business, they probably can and will. They would otherwise simply not deliver or very infrequently deliver to many/most non metro areas. I get that lifelong city boys may not understand these things or pretend these places and people do not exist. USPS HAS to deliver to those areas frequently.
Last edited by: mcallister3200 on Mar 7, 2022
March 7th, 2022 at 7:29:38 AM
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When was the last time our military turned a profit?
Pinkerton has provided protection services for 150 years and turned a profit. Perhaps we should turn over our security needs to them.
Anyone who thinks a government service is supposed to generate a profit may want to re-educate themselves as to why the government exists in the first place. It certainly isn't to make a profit.
Pinkerton has provided protection services for 150 years and turned a profit. Perhaps we should turn over our security needs to them.
Anyone who thinks a government service is supposed to generate a profit may want to re-educate themselves as to why the government exists in the first place. It certainly isn't to make a profit.
The older I get, the better I recall things that never happened
March 7th, 2022 at 9:16:25 AM
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I see oil prices today as high as I ever remember at $122 a barrel.
At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
March 7th, 2022 at 9:55:07 AM
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Quote: Hunterhill
I agree with your assessment on the post office. I think they should deliver only 5 or even 4 days a week .
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I'd be fine with even one or two days a week. Monday and Friday. Or just one day, rotated throughout the week depending on where you live like how garbage collection works. 99% of mail is not important and can wait a few days for delivery. Really important things like medicine and legal documents should probably have separate rules, though, and be deliverable at any time.
March 7th, 2022 at 10:20:06 AM
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If the postal route trucks are currently full* 6 days a week, how you gonna load three times as much stuff in on only two days a week?
*Ok, even more than half full
*Ok, even more than half full
May the cards fall in your favor.
March 7th, 2022 at 10:51:02 AM
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Quote: billryanWhen was the last time our military turned a profit?
Pinkerton has provided protection services for 150 years and turned a profit. Perhaps we should turn over our security needs to them.
Anyone who thinks a government service is supposed to generate a profit may want to re-educate themselves as to why the government exists in the first place. It certainly isn't to make a profit.
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Obsolete government services that charge people for their services and compete with private industry that perform the same function? The Tennessee Valley Authority is part of the government and runs power plants and dams and offers electricity to the pubic. It is required to pay for itself. There are plenty of government agencies like that - that are required to charge fees and pay for themselves. Because some government functions, such as the Post Office, provide "service on demand" and some users (such as businesses) make much higher demands on the government function.
Anyone who thinks that no government service is supposed to pay for itself may want to reeducate themselves about advanced concepts like "service on demand" agencies. Examples like the military are just simply irrelevant, because their services are principally at the demand of the government, not of private entities. I reiterate, IMO that was the worst post of the year.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
March 7th, 2022 at 1:53:26 PM
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Problem with most people they start bitching over things they have very little control vs actually doing something about it by taking control of the situation.
When my rent skyrocketed over $500 per month and with the rising inflation this past year or two, I picked up a second job. So I work longer hours on certain days, but that was the simplest solution for me vs moving out of Reno. Most people are just too lazy and rely on others to fix thing that they have no control which in time may work it’s way out or not.
Obviously for business or families with kids, it’s much more complicated but same strategy, take control of the situation. Do something!
When my rent skyrocketed over $500 per month and with the rising inflation this past year or two, I picked up a second job. So I work longer hours on certain days, but that was the simplest solution for me vs moving out of Reno. Most people are just too lazy and rely on others to fix thing that they have no control which in time may work it’s way out or not.
Obviously for business or families with kids, it’s much more complicated but same strategy, take control of the situation. Do something!
March 7th, 2022 at 2:27:08 PM
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Quote: VegasriderProblem with most people they start bitching over things they have very little control vs actually doing something about it by taking control of the situation.
When my rent skyrocketed over $500 per month and with the rising inflation this past year or two, I picked up a second job. So I work longer hours on certain days, but that was the simplest solution for me vs moving out of Reno. Most people are just too lazy and rely on others to fix thing that they have no control which in time may work it’s way out or not.
Obviously for business or families with kids, it’s much more complicated but same strategy, take control of the situation. Do something!
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Taking a second job doesn't solve the problem of unsustainable rental practices... it merely enables it and exacerbates the issue. Now the landlords/corporate owners are saying, "See? We told you they could afford it..." Yeah, you can afford it because you're working 60 hours a week now instead of 40; that's NOT a good thing. You're actually doing the OPPOSITE of what you're proposing: instead of "taking control of the situation," you're playing right along and letting the problem swallow you up whole.
March 7th, 2022 at 3:12:16 PM
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So what immediate options did I have? I didn’t say it was a permanent solution, but something had to be done vs moving. I’m not the type of person who ‘s going to do nothing like most people. Eventually Nevada will have rent control, my employer Is looking at a wage increase for the increase cost of living, but that will take time. My solution was immediate and fairly quick. Others can do the same, yes, you will have to work harder and longer, something Americans are not use to doing. Other countries have been paying $5 per gallon for over a decade.
March 7th, 2022 at 3:20:19 PM
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Quote: VegasriderOther countries have been paying $5 per gallon for over a decade.
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I remember a trip to Europe back a few decades ago.
I saw a few gas stations and thought "hmm, given the exchange rate, the price on the sign is about what it is back in the States. Maybe the prices aren't as high as I thought?"
Then I realized it was per liter, not per gallon, and multiplied by 3.8.
May the cards fall in your favor.
