From: c23st@kocrsv01.delcoelect.com (Spiros Triantafyllopoulos)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: H. Ross Perot's proposed gas tax
Date: 6 Oct 92 16:38:16 GMT
Organization: Delco Electronics Corp.

In article <1992Oct6.150427.22498@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> whs70@dancer.uucp (22501-sohl) writes:
>That's certainly a valid point, but not an unreasonable one.  It
>could lead to more people car pooling, work at home, etc.  If

Car pooling is one option, but how many people can do it? I used to carpool
and i found it saved me $20 a month and cost me 10 mins a day. You can
do your own math and see if $20 a month is worth the time wasted. 

>the increase was phased in over several years, it wouldn't even be
>that detrimental in a purely regressive sense either.  It could
>lead to the purchase of more fule efficient cars by those that
>would be impacted the most regressively.

I do not think you understood which people I meant by 'impacted the most
regressively'. I was not talking about the $40K/year engineer who drives
100 miles a day; I was talking about the $10K/year technically working
poor driving a beater that has to choose between Mr. Perot's tax or
clothes for their backs. For such cases, even up to incomes into the
$20K's, buying a new car just to beat the fuel tax is simply not an
option. Working for an automaker I'd love to see them buy new cars
but what's most likely going to happen is that they'll keep the cars they
have and keep spending more and more of their income paying a regressive
tax. Simple. Or, give up a good job and take a lower paying one so they
won't spend it on gas (thus reducing overall taxes contributed), or
stop working alltogether. 

>[availability of inexpensive transport leading to segmenting work/shop/
>living areas discussion deleted]
>Mayber it would lead to a revitalization of the inner cities.

Oh, C'me on. Most inner city revitalization (i.e. convince the
yuppies to come back) projects I've seen have been failures. In 
Indianapolis, where I live, there's more than 1 million people. Less than
20,000 of the high wage earners live close to downtown where they work,
and they're mostly affiliated with the local university etc. 

>More people would want to live nearer to where they work.

But that has changed since the suburbia explosion. It's unlikely to change
back in many parts of the country. I don't particularily agree with it
but how can I justify leaving the suburbs to my children? Hence I get to
eat the cost...

>As above, if the 50 cent a gallon was phased over 5 years, I
>don't think it would have that much impact on the societal
>implications in any single year.

Just because the change is miniscule it does not mean we won't see it. First
off, it sets a precedent for further tax increases, just like it happened
in Greece. For example, while the rest of the world went from $35 a barrel
to $18 a barrel, the price of gas in Greece actually was increased. Greece
of course was not the only country where it happened. 

Once the government sees the automobile as a source of revenue there's
little the average citizen can do. We already have $120 fines for 
exceeding the parking meter time by 5 minutes, $80 for illegal left turns,
and $500 a year for licence plates. Will the automobile be the next
Social Security Trust Fund?

>I don't see the tax as an effort to deliberately social engineer
>the US lifestyle.  If that happens as a "side effect," so what.

You don't since you and I can afford the extra cost; hell, we can afford to
pay gas at twice what it costs now. But not all of us are so fortunate.

>Now I'd like to point out that I consider myself an auto enthusiast.
>I have several British Sports cars, our daily driver is an Isuzu Trooper
>and not one of my vehicles gets over 25mpg, so I think I can
>be supportive of a 50 cent a gallon tax without anyone claiming
>that it wouldn't have some distinct financial impact on my family.
>I also commute a total of 44 miles a day to work and my wife's
>commute is a round trip of about 38 miles.

You also have dual incomes, just like me. Do you think that the guy driving
a 1982 K-car 60 miles a day to work at a local mall from a rural area 
('cause there are no jobs there and housing is cheap) will be able to
continue doing that?

Look at all the little thingies that have gone up in the last few years.
Social Security 'contributions' (aka donations); state and local taxes;
premiums; copayments; maybe for you and me the extra $20 a month means
dropping HBO or Showtime; $20 a month means lots to other people.

>Standard Disclaimer- Any opinions, etc. are mine and NOT my employer's.

Ditto :-)

Spiros

-- 
Spiros Triantafyllopoulos                    c23st@kocrsv01.delcoelect.com
Software Technology, Delco Electronics       striantafyll@kosds1.gm.hac.com
GM Hughes Electronics, Kokomo, IN 46904      [A Different Kind of Disclaimer]