My fellow Conservative,
Politicians just can’t seem to leave well enough alone, can they?
With gasoline prices around the country the lowest we’ve seen in what seems like forever ($2.20/gallon average), the common sense response would be to cheer. Heck, one gas station in Indiana is selling a gallon of gasoline for $1.40!
Despite the Obama administration’s opposition to drilling and oil exploration on federal lands, the United States has managed to increase our domestic oil production, which has, at least in part, driven global prices down.
But if the GOP has its way, this will be short lived. Enjoy your cheap gas while you can because a top Republican just announced that he is open to raising the gasoline tax!
That’s right… Senator John Thune (R-SD) will be the new Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. When asked whether his committee would consider a gasoline tax hike, he responded that it was still “on the table.”
The federal tax on gasoline is currently 18.4¢ per gallon. But when you add state and local taxes, Americans actually pay around 23.47¢ in taxes per gallon.
So if you drive a Ford F-150 or another truck with a large gas tank, that means you are paying Uncle Sam $8.45 in taxes just to fill up!
It might not seem like a lot, but consider how many times you pull into a gas station in a given year… It really adds up.
Neither the GOP nor the Democrats can be allowed to increase the gasoline tax!
Sure, it might cost you a few extra bucks to fill up, but think about how much a gasoline tax hike would cost shipping companies. In 2011, there was 9.2 BILLION tons of freight moved by truck across this country. That represents 67% of all freight.
If Republicans and Democrats succeed in raising the gas tax, it will make EVERYTHING more expensive.
Make no mistake… both parties are to blame. In 2014, Democrats introduced legislation to nearly DOUBLE the federal gasoline tax. They want the federal tax alone to be over 30¢ per gallon!
When you consider that states and localities would likely follow suit, it’s entirely possible that we could see the combined gasoline tax at 40¢ or even 50¢ a gallon!
Then, it would cost $16 in taxes to fill up your pick-up truck…
With gasoline prices falling by the day, instead of allowing these low prices to bolster the economy, Congress wants to tax you even more. They think you can afford it.
I understand that we need to fund infrastructure projects and that federal highways don’t repair themselves. But raising the gasoline tax and increasing the cost of nearly EVERYTHING isn’t the way to solve this problem!
But Congress doesn’t get it because they won’t have to pay these taxes. Republicans and Democrats gave themselves a $1000/month transportation allowance a few weeks ago. They won’t be using their money to fill up… they’ll be using yours!
And I think that is what makes this so insulting. Congress doesn’t know or care about the ramifications of what both parties have proposed to do.
You sent these men and women to Congress to represent your interests. Yet, all many of them seem to do is work to line their own pockets.
I say, enough is enough!
I won’t just stand by while Congress increases the cost of living for the entire country and you shouldn’t either!
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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