Tag: gas tax (page 3)

But here we are, 9 days from Michigan's Presidential Primary, which the GOP in Michigan moved up and lost half of it's delegates as a result, and now Mitt has to actually compete.  

Mitt lost Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, South Carolina, and Minnesota, and may lose Maine.  He has so far won New Hampshire and Florida.

So as I read what is happening downstate and about how wonderful Mitt is, I noticed how the press says Romney has not defended the auto bailout, and that it will hurt him.   Michigan Republicans defend the auto-bailout because Michigan is the auto industry and it's too big to fail, etc.

But the auto rescue is an awkward issue in a state in which both Republicans and Democrats wholeheartedly supported it.

Even if he wins Michigan, Mr Romney will still be dogged by the auto rescue in the general election. Mr Patterson, a supporter, says: "That's something that Mitt is going to have to address."

Does anybody here have a problem with that?

These people do.

From the Detroit news

Lansing-- Michigan would fundamentally alter the way it raises money to pay for repairs to the state's roads and bridges under a sweeping proposal expected to be unveiled today by Gov. Rick Snyder.

He's expected to suggest getting rid of the 19-cent gas tax motorists pay at the pump in favor of a tax on the wholesale price of fuel -- a move expected to bring in more funds to fix roads and bridges as inflation pushes up the price of gasoline and diesel fuel.

First off, we don't have a 19 cent gas tax. If you want to see me get red in the face, keep repeating that lie, damn lie, and statistic. I've covered it before, but here's how it works. Right now, the Michigan Gas Tax in Hamburg Township, Michigan is 37 cents. The final price when I was last at the gas station is $3.45. Of that $3.45 cents, 56 cents in gas taxes goes to the government. 37 cents goes to the State of Michigan. Multiply that by 20 gallons, and the state gets $7.40 cents every time I fill up. When gas prices are at $4.10, the Michigan gas tax is 41 cents.

There's three things wrong with the wholesale taxes.

1. Taxes go up even more when gas prices increase. That encourages higher gas prices to be even higher. We're almost $3.50 a gallon. That's damaging to any supposed recovery.

2. This does not address the 6% sales tax on gasoline - that does not go to roads. This will affect things more with a wholesale tax.

3. It continues the false assumption that the gas tax, and only the gas tax, goes to fix the roads.

4. While the non-sales tax portion of the gas tax goes to transportation, that does not necessarily equal roads.

From the Free Press

LANSING - Michigan's crumbling roads and bridges cause traffic congestion that will cost the state 12,000 jobs, and cost $287 for every resident in lost time and wasted fuel, a new study concludes.

That's about the same amount typical motorists would pay for doubling the state gas tax and vehicle registration fees - a $2.2-billion revenue increase that would pay for a vastly improved highway system, according to the report.

The study by Anderson Economic Group of Lansing was commissioned by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and shows the economic impact of good and bad roads. Chamber president Rich Studley said it's long past time for state government to boost revenue for roads that are the lifeline of Michigan's commerce, from manufacturing to tourism to agriculture.

Once again, this whole gas tax push is based on a false premise. The false premise is that only the gas tax can fund roads. Every single so called plan I have seen is based on that false premise. Every single advocacy for the tax is based on that. It's crap. I'm not going to rehash the arguments. I've done that about seven times already and nothing has changed. I last wrote about this in January when Rep. Dick Ball pushed for this

2007 - Hopgood and DeRoche push for gas tax - bipartisanship at its worst.

The usually sensible Michigan Chamber of Commerce pushed it in 07

The Granholm task tax force in 08

Late 08, again

Now one the more influential columnists in Lansing is trying to stir this up again.
Peter Luke, columnist of Booth Newspapers (Ann Arbor News) is pushing for a gas tax for the roads. It once again relies on the false assumptions. The assumption among the elite in Lansing is that "only the gas tax can pay for roads." That's the number one assumption of ALL these pushes for the gas tax. I don't buy that. Assumption is the mother of all eff ups.