the most boring vacation of the summer: the “US gas tax vacation”

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You may have been watching the politicians pointlessly argue about the Gas Tax Vacation— McCain’s idea to lift taxes on gas for the summer.  Clinton endorses this idea, while Obama calls it a “short-term, quick fix”.  It’s not like either of these candidates will actually be in office to make this decision, but it’s one more argument that reinforces my alignment with Obama.

Frankly, it’s an awful idea.  First of all, it will only encourage people to drive more, which will increase the demand and price of gasoline— ultimately offsetting the tax break.  Not to mention the fact that we should be encouraging and rewarding those who find alternatives to driving.  How does this benefit the eco-friendly and cost-saving city gal (ahem, moi) who takes the bus in order to save a few dollars and a few drowning polar bears?

Secondly, economists project the savings to be an average of $18 per person.  Quite short of exciting.

If they really want to make a fair and realistic impact, why don’t they take the tax revenue from gas and put it towards R&D for finding REAL, long-term solutions to both problems of the economy and the environment.  This sounds much more meaningful than a few extra dollars in the pockets of truck drivers.

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