Gothamist: State Senate Passes Gas Tax Holiday; Roadblocks Ahead

sonyactivision

Thu, 08 May 2008 23:18:12 -0500

If gas is too high, take a cab!

glennQNYC

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:41:20 -0500

If those who don't drive think they can avoid fuel taxes, you are naive.

Steven

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:31:35 -0500

We need to fix public transportation within the cities and immediate suburbs of those cities, but it doesn't make sense to have public transportation within the country nor to ride a bike. Some people here fail to realize there is a whole another lifestyle outside of NYC and some places don't even have a sidewalk to walk on. What we need to do is find another way to power trucks and cars and finally cut our dependency on oil from the middle east.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:09:19 -0500

@ bornbred i didn't say it was its sole intention. its obviously to raise revenue. but you're going to say that that is not at all part of its intention? please, lecture me on the way the world really works mister business man. i'm just a dumb kid who's never been to a three martini lunch. do tell!

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:06:33 -0500

understandable, but a gas tax holiday will not fix any of that. it will just dig us deeper into a hole. we need to break our dependency on driving, no way around it. so instead of this political stunt nonsense our leaders should work on addressing the issues of increasing public transportation and developing alternative energy sources. but telling people to change their comfortable lifestyles doesn't play well in soundbites, i suppose

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:59:07 -0500

pete you affirm that just when I thought I've heard it all... "part of the point of the gas tax is to encourage people to drive less". You can't be that naive.

YELLOWFOOT

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:18:02 -0500

i agree and people are doing these things it doent make it any easier to pay 4$ a gallon. a lot of the burbs don't have bus systems and alot of times they suck. riding bike and car pooling isn't an option for everyone people have kids to cart around and groceries to get and it all adds up

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:05:48 -0500

but lots of communities have buses. or people can carpool, or ride a bike, or do all their errands at once so that they are driving less and thus buying less gas. part of the point of the gas tax is to encourage people to drive less and to figure out ways to do that in whatever community they live. people need to stop being lazy and be innovative. my family lives in a place where there's not as extensive a public transportation system as nyc, when i'm there i bike or hitch a ride with my brother or friends when they are on their way somewhere. there are solutions to these problems. you have a problem with paying the gas tax? wean yourself off buying gas! problem solved.

iank

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:00:35 -0500

soooo... that means we get a fare discount holiday on taking the subway, too, right?

YELLOWFOOT

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:50:06 -0500

Why do people act like we are the only people in this state the gas tax effects ALL of NY state some people don't have subways and path trains

bxbrian

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:46:17 -0500

Hey dingus, the "envirowhackos" are the ones trying to curtail global warming...which can prevent storms in Louisiana Advanced logic is a wonderful concept!

jaja007

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:10:20 -0500

New Jersey's price is lower, because NJ still has OIL REFINERIES! All the envirowackos in NY shut down our refineries. That's why our gas prices rise if theres a tropical storm in Louisiana or Texas, and NJ's prices are more consistent (and cheaper).

Steven

Thu, 08 May 2008 13:22:56 -0500

All of the money being collected in tolls goes to what? It's a bunch of money floating around and going to waste on who knows what. The problem I find with taking away the gas tax is NYS will fix another way to make up the money by raising taxes on something else. What this country needs to do is tell the auto industry to stop making vehicles which get 10-20 miles to the gallon. It's a whole bunch of hypocrisy in the government because politicians have a lot of money in stake with the oil companies and if cars and trucks started to get more miles to the gallon what's going to happen to the oil companies?

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:54:13 -0500

To make it clear, I drive a car for business purposes outside of the 5 boroughs and we're talking once or twice a month. Otherwise I'm on public transportation or foot for the most part. My comments are on the tax and taxes in general and angrygod give me a break... We were told many years ago that tolls on the bridges and tunnels would be gone once they were paid off. Big lie. Then we were told that they were going to pay for maintenance on the roads, another big lie. The Highways here are a mess. The Gowanus has had construction since the late 80's yet tolls go up all the time. We're lied to constantly and taxed for things that don't exist.

Kojak

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:53:58 -0500

I have faith that innovation will help cushion the blow of peak oil IF prices rise gradually. Alternatives will become more financially viable, even if money is being poured into production. OPEC's plan was to keep prices high enough to make them money, but curb the introduction of alternatives to cut into Oil demand, but they no longer have control over that dimension any more. Demand is rising too high too fast and they can only increase production by so much. You can't just pump as fast as you want out of an Oil well. Pump too much too fast and the amount of retrievable Oil in that well will actually go down.

ANGRYGOD11

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:35:48 -0500

The gas tax pays for highway infrastructure. Without it the general tax revenues will have to make up the difference. Why should non-drivers, low mileage drivers and those who take public transportation pay for gas guzzlers ? There is no free lunch, it's just a question of who pays for it.

GM

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:16:21 -0500

The only thing that is proven to us all is to invest in infrastructure. These politicians need to get their heads out of the sand and start doing something for the benefit of us all. We're looking, on average, for people to save about $200 bucks a year on this.

Reality Czech

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:41:49 -0500

Perhaps if the automobile inductry didn't dismantle the train system in America, there'd be other soptions. As it is, I can only see higher gas prices and, as a result, higher prices on everything. I don't think they have this problem in Europe where the trains have priority of cars.

solidago

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:41:25 -0500

What the hell is $.32/gallon to the average consumer who isn't piss-poor? I'm sure UPS would see some significant benefits, but you have to be really scraping by for this to make a difference. What I do know is that 32 cents a gallon adds up to a crap load of money for the state, and I can guarantee you that the state won't cut spending to a comparable degree. Gas prices are affecting folks upstate, like my farmer brothers. Both of them have put their huge pickup trucks into semi-retirement, and instead drive around little 4 cylinder beaters whenever they don't need the cargo space, which is most of the time. I can guarantee you that if gas prices were a buck or so less, they'd be driving their big-ass trucks around all the time, like they did a year or so ago.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:40:27 -0500

well said kojak. too bad our government discourages innovation in energy production. take for instance the fact that they are going to let the tax credits for alternative energy expire (while making sure big oil still gets theirs) which will further discourage investment in what many economists consider the next big global industry. an industry that the us has slipped from from ranking #4 in to something like #20. but yeah a "gas-tax holiday" that sounds like a better plan...

interlard

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:37:46 -0500

Double the tax, get off the gas. I'm not paying my taxes to fund these a-holes in SUVs.

bxbrian

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:35:23 -0500

Thanks, Kojak. Listen, bornbred, I see where you're coming from. I honestly do. But the thing is, our world is changing. It's something from which we cannot run. Our way of life is in danger, as I'm sure you've seen too. Mine is as well, even if I don't have a car. The question is, do we adapt and make sacrifices, or do we attempt to maintain the status quo and endure even more hardship? I understand that it's tough to pay high gas prices, I honestly do. I see it in the food I eat, the travels I take, and in just about every other arena of life. But there is, I believe, a valid argument for taxing gasoline as it becomes even more scarce. Soon enough, oil will be as rare as diamonds, which I'm sure you would say are expensive due to their scarcity. Whether or not we pay a hefty toll for gas (both in our wallets and in our air) from the government, or from the markets, it is inevitable either way. I for one have no problem with taxing gas, although I know how touchy that is. We need to learn how to be frugal with it before it's gone. If that means taking mass transit to a bigwig business meeting, then so be it. I'm sure it wasn't sexy to grow a victory garden in WWII, but we did it anyway.

Kojak

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:28:20 -0500

"comparing cigarettes to auto travel is ridiculous." The state taxes cigarettes to make smokers more likely to quit due to high costs (And to fund god knows how many govt programs). The same is done for gasoline in Europe and elsewhere to help lower to amount of automobile traffic and help encourage public transport (Not to mention fund their massive social programs). To Americans however, taxing gasoline to help curb auto use is considered unconscionable due to our massive reliance on the automobile for transport. The theory however is sound and does work. We just have to focus on alternative means to power cars or public transport.

drewo

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:24:08 -0500

For all the damage that the automobile does -- from never-ending road and highway maintenance to asthma-causing pollution to horrific accidents (see this mornings drag race story in Queens) to the police and ambulance and hospital personal that have to attend to these accidents and to the congestion caused by autos that slows overall business activity and detracts from the quality of life -- the gas taxes should be higher.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:23:18 -0500

thats fine. so like i said, if you need to maintain the "big business" image than just pay the ridiculous price for gas and shut up about it, while the rest of us make an effort to consume less. its just the price you pay for the luxury of driving everywhere.

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:11:28 -0500

bxbrian, comparing cigarettes to auto travel is ridiculous. Maybe in your insular world people are all on top of subway lines but the tri-state is filled with suburban areas not served by public transportation. You supplement these taxes whether you are aware of it or not. You like high taxes, have a party.

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:06:53 -0500

Pete obviously you have no clue how big business works. You don't tell clients that you have big dollar contracts with to meet up at a restaurant in the sticks of Sussex County, New Jersey, where a bus is 5 miles away. That's just the way it is, right or wrong, no excuses.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:49:26 -0500

@bornbred i did see the for business part. who cares? make plans to meet at the restaurant and then get off around the corner and walk. no one will know the difference. and you can hide from the dreaded stigma of taking public transportation. gasp! you can make anything work if you make an effort. but instead you're just making excuses to drive to new jersey, have lunch, and call it work. while its entirely your prerogative to do so, don't expect us to feel bad for you for "getting gouged by gas taxes". just pay the piper and shut the fuck up.

ianmac47

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:35:42 -0500

Great. So now the price of gas will drop, and consumers will be able to use more of it, once again driving up the cost of the fuel, but the state will lose the revenue. Brilliant.

Politburo

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:39 -0500

bornbred: It's not that NYS taxes are too high... NJ's taxes are too low.

bxbrian

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:02 -0500

Hey, taxes are high for smokers too, and that's another shit habit to have. Don't whine to me if you don't live near mass transit, it's not like you couldn't if you wanted to.

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:29:33 -0500

Hey Pete, did you read the "for business" part? You can't show up at a clients office and take the bus to a restaurant for lunch. These comments are obviously from non drivers and typical of the 'if it doesn't effect me' mentality. How else could anyone think it's ok for anyone to be gouged by taxes?, which is exactly what's happening and the point, not whether we should be driving or not.

edEx

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:25:45 -0500

*The NY State Senate may have passed legislation eliminating the NY State gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day* Big mistake! How will this help the NYS in the long run? Taxpayers will definitely end up paying for this after Labor Day one way or another. Also, gas prices will seem to have increased tenfold when the tax is again reinstated... very bad idea...

JMH

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:50:05 -0500

Gas taxes should go up, not down.

bxbrian

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:35:54 -0500

The thing is, people will most likely buy more gas, reducing supply, bumping demand (prices) higher. We also might see the price of a barrel increase based solely on decisions like these, which would then eat away at the cost differential. Or, if for no other reason, it won't save consumers all that much since it's only from june-august. After that it's right back up to the regular price. Alright, internet, flame away at me.

murphguide

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:34:05 -0500

Prediction: If the so called "tax holiday" goes through, the prices will still go up, and the difference will be pocketed between the gas companies and the retailers. So the "holiday" will be enjoyed by the companies, and not the consumers.

starrygordon

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:25:42 -0500

I think it is instinct. If certain politicians see the possibility of a sham, they can't help but go through with it. McCain and Clinton, for example.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:21:15 -0500

@bornbrednewyorker take the path, or a bus. stop crying.

petebfd

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:20:48 -0500

how about stopping the corporate welfare and not going through with this idiotic gas-tax holiday sham?

Kojak

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:15:40 -0500

Easy for me to say right since I don't drive.

Kojak

Thu, 08 May 2008 09:13:02 -0500

There shouldn't be a tax cut on gas at all. It won't make much of a difference anyway as gas taxes are dirt cheap to what most countries pay. Sorry to sound insensitive but this country has to ween itself off of the notion that we have a RIGHT to cheap gas. Whats happening is simple supply and demand (Plus the fact that oil is brought on the US dollar, which is falling). The only real long term solution is to use less of the stuff.

bornbrednewyorker

Thu, 08 May 2008 08:50:47 -0500

This state is absurd with taxes. I had to drive to Jersey for business yesterday and paid $3.37 a gallon. Back in the city it was $3.80 and up. This tax cut shouldn't be temporary it should be permanent.