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No gas tax, say both candidates' aides
 
Frank Cotolo
23 Oct 2008
 
Although some experts say that a higher gasoline taxes would provide billions of dollars for badly needed U.S. infrastructure development, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain say they could support it if elected president.
 
Aides to both senators said finding money for road and transit improvements across the nation should not come from a tax on gasoline.
 
"We don't want to tax gasoline more," said an Obama aide.
 
"We aren't proposing raising a tax on gasoline if we get the White House," said a McCain official.
 
Why then, has the gasoline tax issue been raised now?
 
Earlier this year, McCain proposed suspending the gas tax temporarily to give people driving cars some relief from the high prices. Obama did not disagree with the policy but he didn't say it was a good policy, either. He said that taxing gasoline over the summer wasn't a good idea.
 
Gasoline demand is the source for about half the average U.S. consumption of 18-million barrels of oil per day. Federal gasoline taxes are at 18.4 cents per gallon. They have not gone up since 1993.
 
"That's fifteen years without a gas tax," said a McCain official, "and we would like to see that go to sixteen and maybe seventeen or more years."
 
Still, driving on U.S. roads has greatly declined in 2008 due to high fuel costs. "But the cost would have been higher," an Obama aide said, "if there were a tax on the gasoline."
 
"For sure," said a McCain official, "even now with the price of gas going down we feel the price would get higher if there were a tax on the gasoline."
 
Top economist Leslie Warrpluvner agreed, saying, "Add a ten-cent tax to a three-dollar gallon of gas and it is likely the gallon will cost three dollars and ten cents. That sounds like a raise in price to me."
 
Average gasoline prices declined 23 cents since the financial storm, falling below three dollars per gallon for the first time since February.
 
"If there were a tax now," said another McCain official, "the price of gas would go up again."
   
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