2008 U.S. Presidential Election - Primaries

[Heald]

It really isn't that simple. At the moment, OPEC, which frankly, should be illegal anyway because they are artificially keeping prices high, control prices with an iron grip. Petrol taxes are not just to counter-balance the environmental cost of cars, but also go towards building new roads and maintaining current ones. If the government were to simply cut taxes just like that, they'd lose millions and have no other avenues to get that money in. Simply put, no new roads would get build, roads would fall into disrepair and congestion would get worse.

[Roy Karrde]

It really isn't that simple. At the moment, OPEC, which frankly, should be illegal anyway because they are artificially keeping prices high, control prices with an iron grip. Petrol taxes are not just to counter-balance the environmental cost of cars, but also go towards building new roads and maintaining current ones. If the government were to simply cut taxes just like that, they'd lose millions and have no other avenues to get that money in. Simply put, no new roads would get build, roads would fall into disrepair and congestion would get worse.

Well for one our state taxes easily can and have gone to roads. Second I am not advocating keeping gas taxes off forever, but just long enough till the oil situation balances out. And while OPEC keeps a iron grip on how much oil is released, we need more refineries if we are to ever produce more gas on to the market. Also America has sources with in our own country that can produce oil, we could easily use those tomorrow and cut ourself off from the Middle East, and just get our oil from Mexico, Canada, and our own sources.