5 ms·

I've been saying for a long time that the US should increase the tax on gas steadily every year. Even a nickel a year would be OK but more would be better. Pe

I've been saying for a long time that the US should increase the tax on gas steadily every year. Even a nickel a year would be OK but more would be better. People would be able to plan on the price increasing every year and make sound economic decisions on whether they wanted to move closer to work, etc. Unfortunately, it became apparent about the same time that the US is almost incapable of doing something in an organized fashion. People would scream about the price of gas going up and it would be rolled back. Or there'd be subsidies that would negate the tax increases.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Fuel in the US is already much more expensive than two decades ago. I remember buying a gallon for around 90 cents in 1999, and at the same time I read a newspaper article about some immigrant-run stations on the Jersey shore that had slashed their prices to several cents below that, as they were content to make a tiny profit margin and play a long game. Now a gallon costs more than twice as much as then, but as far as I can tell the average American has not made significant lifestyle changes with regard to vehicle usage: they just suck it up.
- Xorlev 6y ago
  $0.90 in 1999 is $1.41 today. Near me, gas is ~$2 (give or take). So, more expensive (~40-50%), but not double.
  - Mediterraneo10 6y ago
    Granted, it may not be quite double, but average American salaries have not entirely kept pace with inflation in the last twenty years, so fuel expenses are appreciably higher than simply counting the inflation in.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    Here it's closer to $2 / liter. (1/4 of a Gallon).
    - tremon 6y ago
      Sure, but your "here" isn't in the US.
      - jacquesm 6y ago
        Indeed, which is why I provided that datapoint.
  - jsight 6y ago
    0.90 is also an outlier for 1999. The average price was closer to $1.20 back then.
- smichel17 6y ago
  ...and I remember paying almost $4/gallon, around 10 years ago (I think), with no expectation that the price would drop. Gas is crazy cheap rift now.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago

Fuel in the US is already much more expensive than two decades ago. I remember buying a gallon for around 90 cents in 1999, and at the same time I read a newspaper article about some immigrant-run stations on the Jersey shore that had slashed their prices to several cents below that, as they were content to make a tiny profit margin and play a long game. Now a gallon costs more than twice as much as then, but as far as I can tell the average American has not made significant lifestyle changes with regard to vehicle usage: they just suck it up.

Xorlev 6y ago
$0.90 in 1999 is $1.41 today. Near me, gas is ~$2 (give or take). So, more expensive (~40-50%), but not double.
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago
  Granted, it may not be quite double, but average American salaries have not entirely kept pace with inflation in the last twenty years, so fuel expenses are appreciably higher than simply counting the inflation in.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  Here it's closer to $2 / liter. (1/4 of a Gallon).
  - tremon 6y ago
    Sure, but your "here" isn't in the US.
    - jacquesm 6y ago
      Indeed, which is why I provided that datapoint.
- jsight 6y ago
  0.90 is also an outlier for 1999. The average price was closer to $1.20 back then.
smichel17 6y ago
...and I remember paying almost $4/gallon, around 10 years ago (I think), with no expectation that the price would drop. Gas is crazy cheap rift now.