Paxety Pages

Instead what we got was a tax increase for everyone - a $4.8-billion dollar increase in the gas tax. In fact, by 1997, The Cato Institute said the fastest growing tax of all was not the income tax nor the payroll tax, but the federal gasoline tax.  It had grown by 5-cents a gallon under Reagan, another 5-cents a gallon under George H.W. Bush and 4.3-cents per gallon under Clinton.

You Republicans said you were outraged. In 1996 and 1997, after the Republicans had taken control of both houses of Congress, there was talk of repealing the Clinton gasoline tax. But, as usual, Congress produced nothing but hot air.

In 2001, with the Republicans sill holding both houses of Congress plus, now, the White House, there was a call to cut the federal gasoline tax.

Gary Bauer, Chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, called on Congress to repeal the “Clinton Gas Tax” and ease the burden of rising energy costs on working families.

“This week, rolling blackouts returned to California and they are only expected to increase in frequency as summer temperatures rise. Gasoline prices have now reached unprecedented levels at $1.63 per gallon for the national average. This is 21 cents higher than this time last year and 11 cents above peak predictions for June. Meanwhile, at least two major companies have warned local stations that prices could reach $3.00 per gallon.

Now that gasoline prices all across the country are approaching $3.00 a gallon, let's do something about it. Cut the Reagan-Bush-Clinton federal gasoline tax. And while you're at it, pass the Fair Tax.