Comments on: We’re with Lutz: Raise the gas tax

By: Raise the Gas Tax! « Wabi Cycles

Raise the Gas Tax! « Wabi Cycles — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:29:15 +0000

[...] the Gas Tax! In an article found on a Detroit-based blog, it was suggested that the gas tax increase as a way of encouraging motorists to use other forms of transportation. Evidently, Bob Lutz, the [...]

By: Everett

Everett — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:50:14 +0000

I like the earned income tax credits idea. I was going to suggest a progressive income tax levied with vehicle registration. To make it more palatable towards the business community, this can be paired with tax credits aimed at businesses within Michigan that are working within/towards “green” transportation or whose products are actively encouraging urban density.

By: Todd Scott

Todd Scott — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:29:59 +0000

Great point. Gas taxes are regressive. Perhaps the tax increase could be balanced with an increase in earned income tax credits. And we need to invest more in other transportation modes so that there are more lower cost options available. The average American spends more of their budget on transportation than food.

By: Joel Batterman

Joel Batterman — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:29:30 +0000

Perhaps additional revenues could go to transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, in the interests of providing some carrot.

By: Everett

Everett — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:14:57 +0000

A gas tax is a win only for those that can afford it. For those people that are officially classified as below the poverty line, and the larger number that hover near it in the lower middle class, a gas tax could be the death knell to a family’s already precarious finances. A gas tax is just too much stick and not enough carrot.