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What about my point regarding gas tax avoidance?
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I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891 -
Any time that a person buys a more efficient vehicle to avoid paying gas taxes which are levied in order to pay for roads, or price congestion or accidents then he is avoiding gas taxes. Only when the gas taxes are levied in order to tax something which is almost inseparable from the use of the gas itself (i.e. emissions) does this behaviour not really count as tax avoidance. Good thing most people are civic minded and do not try to avoid paying their fair share like those ****ing Prius drivers.Originally posted by DanS View Post
12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
Stadtluft Macht Frei
Killing it is the new killing it
Ultima Ratio RegumComment
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Some generous people even choose to drive Hummers/Suburbans and contribute more than their fair share.
12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
Stadtluft Macht Frei
Killing it is the new killing it
Ultima Ratio RegumComment
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I'm talking complete avoidance.Originally posted by KrazyHorse View Post
(Although I appreciate the dig at those self-absorbed Prius drivers.)I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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I would count electric vehicles as "more efficient"...
Unless you mean something which I'm not getting right now...12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
Stadtluft Macht Frei
Killing it is the new killing it
Ultima Ratio RegumComment
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I think the other benefits of gas taxes minimizes my concern about some of the avoidance. Even though it might be a bit regressive due to the higher cost of electric vehicles but there are always the hummer owners.
It's almost as if all his overconfident, absolutist assertions were spoonfed to him by a trusted website or subreddit. Sheeple
RIP Tony Bogey & Baron OComment
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I suppose you could point to biodiesel or ethanol as being comparably efficient but avoiding the use of gas.12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
Stadtluft Macht Frei
Killing it is the new killing it
Ultima Ratio RegumComment
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No, that's what I was getting at. Even though electric vehicles are indeed more efficient, I was driving at the substitution going on when choosing to buy an electric.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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I guess I don't quite understand what you're saying. But of course it wouldn't be the first time.
It's almost as if all his overconfident, absolutist assertions were spoonfed to him by a trusted website or subreddit. Sheeple
RIP Tony Bogey & Baron OComment
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rah, the point that Dan is getting at is that when you're trying to apply pigovian taxes it is best to tax the activity you're trying to discourage rather than another activity which you believe to be correlated with it.
In this case, you're trying to discourage driving (particularly driving in congested areas). Taxing gasoline as a proxy for driving causes people to avoid taxes by attempting to drive with less (or no!) gasoline. When you're talking about taxing gasoline to reduce the use of gasoline (for emissions purposes) that's fine; when you're trying to tax gasoline to reduce the use of the roads then it's not.
Driving has many negative externalities. Only some of them are directly related to the use of gasoline. Ideally you'd want to apply gasoline taxes in the amount you need to price emissions, "smart" tolls to price congestion/road use etc.
But the tradeoff with tolls is that collecting them electronically really is an invasion of privacy which I'm not willing to live with simply to increase efficiency somewhat.12-17-10 Mohamed Bouazizi NEVER FORGET
Stadtluft Macht Frei
Killing it is the new killing it
Ultima Ratio RegumComment
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Really, it was only a small point. Although I expect it to become a big point in 5 or 10 years in the US and 2 or 3 years in Europe.I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891Comment
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I think taxing gas higher will reduce the number of miles driven. And it will reduce travel at high congestion times.
When gas was at 4 buck a gallon, a lot of drivers switched to mass transit in chicago. Travel times during rush hour were reduced. We had record mass transit ridership during that period. When the price dropped people went back to driving in rush hour. Taxing gas higher will push some of those back to mass transit.
SO higher gas taxes reduces
miles driven
congestion
encourages driving vehicles that use less gas
reduces emission.
win win win win in my books.It's almost as if all his overconfident, absolutist assertions were spoonfed to him by a trusted website or subreddit. Sheeple
RIP Tony Bogey & Baron OComment
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If DanS were dead, he surely would rotate in his grave hearing suchOriginally posted by rah View Post
With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Steven WeinbergComment
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Barney Frank is already helping to decide which GM plants to close.
Barney Frank convinces GM CEO to keep his district's plant open
Rep Barney Frank (D-Mass.) won a stay of execution on Thursday for a General Motors plant in his district that the automaker had announced it would close.
No other lawmaker has managed to halt the GM ax. As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Frank oversees the government's bailout program, known as TARP. Frank's staff said the lawmaker spokes with GM CEO Fritz Henderson on Wednesday and convinced him to keep the Norton, Mass. plant open for at least 14 months.
GM announced Monday in its bankruptcy and restructuring plans it would close of nine of its plants and idle three others. The automaker said it would also shutter three service and parts operations by the end of the year — one of which is in Frank's district.
"I greatly appreciate General Motors' willingness to take into consideration the wider needs of the company and especially the community," Frank said in a statement. "Keeping the facility open for this extra time gives workers a chance to look at other opportunities, while at the same time continuing to provide for their families."
Frank said that an improving economy could improve the prospects for GM and its employees, hinting that an uptick in auto sales could keep the Norton plant open longer.
What could go wrong?KH FOR OWNER!
ASHER FOR CEO!!
GUYNEMER FOR OT MOD!!!Comment
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[action=DinoDoc]cries uncontrolably at the thought of his money going down the drain[/action]Originally posted by Drake Tungsten View PostI make no bones about my moral support for [terrorist] organizations. - chegitz guevara
For those who aspire to live in a high cost, high tax, big government place, our nation and the world offers plenty of options. Vermont, Canada and Venezuela all offer you the opportunity to live in the socialist, big government paradise you long for. –Senator RubioComment
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