gas tax

In his speech on the auto industry yesterday, President Obama promoted the idea of a so-called “cash-for-clunkers” program that would offer financial incentives for people to trade in their old gas-guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles. “Such fleet modernization programs, which provide a generous credit to consumers who turn in old, less fuel-efficient cars and purchase [...]

The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, established by Congress “to address the growing transportation infrastructure investment deficit,” released a report today advocating a 10-cent gas tax, to be replaced by a vehicle mileage tax in 2020.
According to the report, the Highway Trust Fund is facing a $400 billion deficit over the next five years, [...]

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood looked a little out of his element last week, when he  proposed a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax on motorists as an alternative to a higher gas tax on Thursday, only to have it shot down in short order. Transportation Department spokeswoman Lori Irving dismissed the notion the next day, stating [...]

Citing insufficient funding for roadways, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has proposed a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax, based on the number of miles a person drives rather than fuel consumption.
In an interview with The Associated Press yesterday, LaHood rejected the possibility of raising the gas tax in the economic downturn, preferring to “[think] outside the [...]

This is a couple of days old, but worth a mention: With gas prices dropping ever further in recent months, the country’s fetish for big, gas-guzzling vehicles has returned. According to numbers released last week by Edmunds.com, an automotive analysis Website, trucks and SUVs will outsell cars in December for the first time in nine [...]

The argument goes, if it costs more to drive, car-shoppers will opt for more efficient cars, giving the Big Three incentive to build them.