Archive for the ‘gasoline tax’ Category

It's no secret that the price of oil--and subsequently, gasoline--has a profound effect on the types of vehicles consumers want. When per-barrel prices hit $145 last summer and gas was over $4 per gallon, folks finally paid attention to all those minicars they'd been hearing about. Now that oil is less than half that, SUVs are on everyone's mind. In light of such volatility, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is looking to stabilize things by limiting speculative trading in oil and other energy commodities. It won't make everyone happy, but until elected officials get on the gas tax bandwagon, it may be the best we get. [NYTimes]

Every now and then, one of our posts sparks a nice online discussion. Typical topics: the fate of General Motors after the government bailout, whether hybrid cars are for conscientious citizens or effete wimps ... and, of course, taxes.

Yesterday, we asked GreenCarReports.com readers to weigh in on a challenge facing the funders of highway and bridge repair all across the country. The problem is that as average gas mileage rises, less gasoline will be bought, so gas tax revenue will fall.

That means less money to keep our roads, bridges, and highways in good repair. And as you may have noticed, some of them aren't in great shape to start...