Gas Tax Holiday – Helpful or a Farce?

By now, we've all heard of the gas tax holiday that was proposed by John McCain and quickly picked up by the Clinton campaign. Under his plan, this summer, Americans would have a three month hiatus from paying the gas tax at the pump. For an America struggling under the weight of a faltering economy, many citizens are jumping at this idea. They feel the burden being lifted, even if only for a few months, and they are praising McCain for putting their needs first.

But, let's take a critical look at this so-called "holiday." My husband's Ford Expedition has a 24 gallon tank. The gas tax is currently $0.18 a gallon. So, if the plan goes through, he's saving $4.82 at each fill-up. He fills up every two weeks, so he would save approximately $8.64 a month, which would be about $25.92 for the summer. Whoo-hoo! Let's pay off that mortgage early!!!

Or, perhaps we could have government employees pay for their own gas. Let me clarify…many government employees actually get reimbursed for the gas they purchase if they are using their own vehicles on the job. Are these the people who have come up with this gas tax holiday? Do they really even understand what the rising price of gas is doing to everyday Americans? We pay for gas out of our own pockets. We don't get reimbursed for driving to and from work. $25.92 isn't going to make that much of a difference to anyone, but when you take the actual figures out of it, my, doesn't it sound generous?

But, what's interesting is that these aren't the numbers that are being publicized. Instead, the media and the government use phrases like how it will cost the federal government almost $10 billion. The fact is, the gas tax is actually a useful tax. It pays for highway projects throughout the country, which is a necessity in many places. Of all the taxes, the gas tax is probably the least invasive and the one that people complain about the least. Interesting that this is the tax that is being targeted.

Maybe we could impose a "Big Business Tax." Tax big business just for being big business. Take that money and re-fund Social Security. Better yet, perhaps the government could tax people for making stupid remarks. Every time someone makes a stupid comment in public, they'd have to deposit one dollar in the tax fund. Everyone would have to pay this tax; everyday citizens as well as politicians. Actually, politicians would have to pay $5 per stupid comment. Hey, in an election year, we could re-fund Social Security, pay off the national debt, and balance the budget!

By: Amy Bozza
Published: 06/04/08

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6 Posted Comments:

gas tax

@ 6:37 am 06/04/08 by Cricket

Thanks for this article. I have often wondered how much of a difference a gas tax holiday would truly make. Yeah--$25 for the whole summer isn't a big deal at all. Not like the cost of gas would be lowered to $2/gallon. Now THAT would be a holiday!

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Great article!

@ 7:58 am 06/15/08 by Clutterbug Jen

I especially loved the ending of your article ...

Actually, politicians would have to pay $5 per stupid comment. [Too funny!]

~*Jen*~

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@ 8:52 am 06/15/08 by mom2knk

Great article Amy!
I agree, this "tax holiday" wouldn't do much for us either!

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@ 9:05 am 06/15/08 by Is there a doctor in the house?

I never really calculated the exact cost of what an individual would be saving. Looking at it from that perspective really isn't all that much of a savings per car.
I think the intentions were good - but nobody ever took it to the nitty gritty figures... just the 'huge' number and jumped on it.

Thank goodness for the first amendment.

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Gas Tax Holiday

@ 11:06 am 06/15/08 by Dee Perri

Amy you are so right, here in NY state, we pay 31.9 cents per gallon tax. Even filling up once a week we only save just under $18 for the month. Whoop-di-do!

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@ 12:28 pm 06/15/08 by Kellie

Great article Amy. The politicians are making it sound like we would save hundreds of dollars. $25 doesn't even cover a tank of gas in my vehicle. But this is what kind of ideas we get from people who think its okay to pay over one hundred $$$ for a hammer.

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