Farago on PRI's "The Takeaway" at 6:06 AM EST: Raise the Gas Tax. If You Must

by Robert Farago

Published: May 19th, 2009

farago on pri s the takeaway at 6 06 am est raise the gas tax if you must

I’m no stranger to this ungodly hour. Having raised four daughters, I know why the early bird gets the worm: Lumbricus Terrestris hasn’t had time for a cup of coffee. Still, needs must. TTAC may have crested 1m viewers per month, but we’re still eyeball based. Our survival still depends on ad revenue. So we need to give as many potential readers as possible a “taste.” Hence the early hour. I’m about to get picked up by a local car service to take me to a radio station to argue against CAFE standards and for a gas tax. Should be fun. Tell all your friends! Well the ones with small children. Thanks. [ click here to listen to the interview on WNYC Radio and Public Radio International’s “The Takeaway”]

Robert Farago

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SunnyvaleCA on May 19, 2009

One problem with CAFE -vs- Gas Tax debates is the false comparison of how high the tax would have to be to achieve the MPG figures mandated by the CAFE. This is a false comparison, and something usually missed by the Gas Tax haters. The critical aspect of a gas tax is that it allows consumers to choose from a multitude of ways of conserving fuel while CAFE demands only a MPG benchmark. For a Gas Tax to gain public support, the debate must be between how much fuel it will save, not how high the MPG figures might be. Our man Farago tried to steer the topic this way, but the commentator and other guest kept going back the other way.

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BklynPete on May 19, 2009

SunnyvaleCA, I just listened again, and boy are you right. I used to respect Andrea Bernstein, but what an ass! She wasn't even listening to RF, and the CAFE defender she was propping up really knew nothing. I guess you know where they fall on the govt. regulation vs. power of the free market debate.

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Mach1 on May 19, 2009

Robert, You were the only rational voice in this discussion!

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Niky Tamayo on May 20, 2009
cardeveloper : May 19th, 2009 at 6:53 am has anybody considered the safety social impact of forced small car via fuel economy standards? Small cars in general do not survive as well in crashes as larger cars. To make a small car safer, you end up adding weight and additional safety controls, further reducing the fuel economy. I absolutely agree, fuel tax needs to increase. The other side to increasing fuel economy standards, lower taxes collected to support our roads, etc. All cars are small compared to big rigs and buses. Even a medium-sized car (usually highest rated in terms of crash survivability) or an Expedition-class SUV is nothing more than a soda can compared to an 18-wheeler. Thus... we should all drive five ton SUVs? - That said... I don't think consumers are as dumb as people say they are. People used to buy trucks because: a.) they get a free pass on the guzzler tax, b.) they have lots of space and c.) they could afford the gas. Remove the guzzler tax entirely, make people pay straight out on gas tax, and their tastes would likely shift to lighter-bodied crossovers (which are, mind you, safer than the older ladder-frame competition) or even minivans, as gas prices would force them to change their way of thinking... or way of life. - Yeah, MPG is another red herring. MPG doesn't tell you what that gasoline was spent doing... if you sleep in your Prius all day with the AC on, you're polluting more and using more gasoline for less economically useful purposes than someone who's using their Suburban to take a dozen kids to soccer practice. Taxing the gas leaves you the freedom to do what you want... but at least you pay for what you do... it's not like man has a god-given right to drive endlessly on roads that other men have paid for with their taxes... but if that man pays more for the extra usage of those roads, it's entirely fair.

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