Democrats and Republicans agree on higher gas taxes, just not in public all the time

Filed under: Government/Legal

Senator Alan Simpson (left) and Erskine Bowles (right), Co-Chairman of the Deficit Reduction Commission

There is a sport in Washington D.C. that comes around like deer season every year: the gas tax debate. And stepping into the clearing this week with brown overcoats and deer antler hats are some former legislators and government officials - none of whom have to run for office - who are recommending a 15-cent additional federal gas tax starting in 2013 to help trim the federal budget deficit.

This measure has about as much chance of getting through the new Congress as a proclamation that would make Earth Day a national bank holiday. Still, given the fact that the Feds have laid a claim to my nine-year old son's unborn children's piggybanks, it's worth a few minutes to air out the subject.

The co-chairman of the bipartisan deficit reduction commission, former Clinton Administration official Erskine Bowles and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, have called for a sweeping set of reforms in the way of taxes, spending cuts and elimination of a myriad of tax credits and deductions to which we have grown accustomed - mortgage interest for one.
The 15-cent per gallon hike in Federal gas taxes is paltry by European standards, but would be used specifically for transportation infrastructure improvement: roads, bridges, etc.

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Democrats and Republicans agree on higher gas taxes, just not in public all the time originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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