A Congressionally created committee is proposing we rase gas taxes by 25 cents, more than doubling the current 18.4 cent gas tax. It’s not all the fault of the Democrats though, according to this bit in the San Francisco Chronicle:
The committee recommends a 5-cents-per-gallon increase in the tax for each of the next five years along with per-container freight fees at ports, ticket taxes for passenger rail systems and the ability for state and local officials to impose congestion tolls and enter private-public partnerships. Absent those other sources, Heminger said, the gas tax would need to rise 8 cents per gallon for each of the next five years.
While the committee’s members agreed on the need for change, Heminger said, three members appointed by the Bush administration – including Transportation Secretary Mary Peters – oppose raising the gasoline tax. But the other nine members – five appointed by Republicans in Congress, four by Democrats – concur with the increase.
I would have a hard time thinking of a realistic tax proposal that would be more destructive than this. The merits of progressive taxation are debatable, but to pass a regressive tax like this at a time when our economy is already fragile, would be an attack on America.