Comments on: Origins of the Gasoline Tax (Part II of “Political Capitalism: Understanding the Beast that Broke the Cage”) http://www.masterresource.org/2009/11/origins-of-the-gasoline-tax-part-ii-in-a-series-on-political-capitalism-understanding-the-beast-that-broke-the-cage/ A free-market energy blog Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:52:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: peter dublin http://www.masterresource.org/2009/11/origins-of-the-gasoline-tax-part-ii-in-a-series-on-political-capitalism-understanding-the-beast-that-broke-the-cage/comment-page-1/#comment-3318 peter dublin Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:54:40 +0000 http://www.masterresource.org/?p=5528#comment-3318 Seems like gas tax is a scary subject for politicians - they like fuel efficiency regulations on vehicles better, trying to pass it off as better for consumers, but that is rarely true (see below) -and when it is, car buyers can in that case of course choose such cars themselves. If it's necessary to save oil (like oil imports), then gas tax is better than current fuel efficiency regulation on what cars can or can't be made - consumers keep choice and government gains income on the reduced gas usage. But if CO2 (and other) emissions are the main worry, then emission tax on vehicles is better still - it's fuel neutral (remember that gas fuelled cars can have low emissions too, from their construction, and from possible retrofits like the Georgia Tech carbon capture storage developments) and again unlike fuel efficiency regulated cars allows free choice and gives government income It might sound great to let people "save money by having to buy fuel efficient cars" but unfortunately there is no free lunch: cars using more fuel have better peformance and /or safety (heavier) and may have appearance and construction differences, as well as costing more to buy (or they'd be more efficient already) Depending on usage, that means money may not be saved in total running costs either A New Car Deal for America http://www.ceolas.net/#cc25x Seems like gas tax is a scary subject for politicians
– they like fuel efficiency regulations on vehicles better,
trying to pass it off as better for consumers, but that is rarely true
(see below)
-and when it is, car buyers can in that case of course choose such cars themselves.

If it’s necessary to save oil (like oil imports),
then gas tax is better than current fuel efficiency regulation on what cars can or can’t be made – consumers keep choice and government gains income on the reduced gas usage.

But if CO2 (and other) emissions are the main worry,
then emission tax on vehicles is better still
- it’s fuel neutral (remember that gas fuelled cars can have low emissions too, from their construction, and from possible retrofits like the Georgia Tech carbon capture storage developments) and again unlike fuel efficiency regulated cars allows free choice and gives government income

It might sound great to let people
“save money by having to buy fuel efficient cars”
but unfortunately there is no free lunch:
cars using more fuel have better peformance and /or safety (heavier) and may have appearance and construction differences, as well as costing more to buy (or they’d be more efficient already) Depending on usage, that means money may not be saved in total running costs either

A New Car Deal for America
http://www.ceolas.net/#cc25x

]]> By: Jon Boone http://www.masterresource.org/2009/11/origins-of-the-gasoline-tax-part-ii-in-a-series-on-political-capitalism-understanding-the-beast-that-broke-the-cage/comment-page-1/#comment-3315 Jon Boone Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:36:57 +0000 http://www.masterresource.org/?p=5528#comment-3315 The Ludwig von Mises quote is wonderful--a just-so statement of life in the federal republic. It strangely reminds me of the Mother Goose rhyme: "To market, to market, to buy a fat pig/Home again, home again, dancing a jig." In the world of Mother Goose, the market is situated on level ground and any exchange is fairly made by buyer and seller. However, as Charles Lamb once wrote, "Credulity is the man's weakness, but the child's strength." The market in our republic is rarely situated on level ground, as Rob Bradley shows here. And price is too often insulated by rent seekers with the active support of the regulators. A fat pig, indeed. The Ludwig von Mises quote is wonderful–a just-so statement of life in the federal republic. It strangely reminds me of the Mother Goose rhyme: “To market, to market, to buy a fat pig/Home again, home again, dancing a jig.” In the world of Mother Goose, the market is situated on level ground and any exchange is fairly made by buyer and seller.

However, as Charles Lamb once wrote, “Credulity is the man’s weakness, but the child’s strength.” The market in our republic is rarely situated on level ground, as Rob Bradley shows here. And price is too often insulated by rent seekers with the active support of the regulators. A fat pig, indeed.

]]> By: Craig Goodrich http://www.masterresource.org/2009/11/origins-of-the-gasoline-tax-part-ii-in-a-series-on-political-capitalism-understanding-the-beast-that-broke-the-cage/comment-page-1/#comment-3308 Craig Goodrich Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:26:32 +0000 http://www.masterresource.org/?p=5528#comment-3308 Fascinating post; logrolling has been going on ever since we've had legislatures. (I wonder what would show up if we had good records of the Roman Senate.) Shouldn't the opening quotation be attributed to *Sumner*, by the way? Fascinating post; logrolling has been going on ever since we’ve had legislatures. (I wonder what would show up if we had good records of the Roman Senate.)

Shouldn’t the opening quotation be attributed to *Sumner*, by the way?

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