Gas Tax
I love hearing complaints about high gas prices. I think we could easily pass a unanimous motion calling 60c/L gas a fundamental human right. Everybody would be on board. We could have a big nerd party and create a commission and write really long sexy reports that nobody would bother to read.
Why is the NDP (via Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP finance critic on CTV's Question Period) calling for a reduction on the gas tax? Shouldn't we hike the tax and fund public transit? Shouldn't we discourage trucking and encourage train shipping? I'm not a fully patched social-democrat, but I wonder why the NDP is calling for lower gas taxes. No wonder the working poor don't even support the party (because they often don't even vote). The NDP is still vying for the leftist bourgeois vote with centrist pseudo-ideology.
As someone who pays for gas every week to fill my gas-guzzling Honda Civic, I'm allowed to say that gas prices should follow the normal process of supply and demand. Especially if this process will eventually cause us to reduce consumption, drive slower, ship things more efficiently, reduce smog, congestion, traffic accidents, road deterioration et cetera. Maybe a higher gas tax could fund a programme to teach Québec City residents how to drive...
Why in the name of all that is good and progressive is the NDP not making this point? Maybe this is why more people voted Green in the last election than ever before.
Here's a question for maybe my dad or some other qualified sustainable infrastructure research nerd... At what gas price will it become more efficient to ship goods by train rather than truck? I'm not suggesting that I don't like sharing the 401 with 50,000 tractor trailers. I'm just curious.
Why is the NDP (via Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP finance critic on CTV's Question Period) calling for a reduction on the gas tax? Shouldn't we hike the tax and fund public transit? Shouldn't we discourage trucking and encourage train shipping? I'm not a fully patched social-democrat, but I wonder why the NDP is calling for lower gas taxes. No wonder the working poor don't even support the party (because they often don't even vote). The NDP is still vying for the leftist bourgeois vote with centrist pseudo-ideology.
As someone who pays for gas every week to fill my gas-guzzling Honda Civic, I'm allowed to say that gas prices should follow the normal process of supply and demand. Especially if this process will eventually cause us to reduce consumption, drive slower, ship things more efficiently, reduce smog, congestion, traffic accidents, road deterioration et cetera. Maybe a higher gas tax could fund a programme to teach Québec City residents how to drive...
Why in the name of all that is good and progressive is the NDP not making this point? Maybe this is why more people voted Green in the last election than ever before.
Here's a question for maybe my dad or some other qualified sustainable infrastructure research nerd... At what gas price will it become more efficient to ship goods by train rather than truck? I'm not suggesting that I don't like sharing the 401 with 50,000 tractor trailers. I'm just curious.
posted by Lt Smash at 11:37 AM
3 Comments:
Le prix est encore moin cher que ben des endroits dans le monde...au pire, conduisez des diesels....pis conduisez moins vite...c'est 10 ou 20% de consomation d'essence de plus pour chaque tranche de 10kn au dessus de 100Km/h que vous dépensez quand vous roulez plus vite....
Not knowing the answer to the fuel cost (and rail versus truck economics) question, I will suggest that you look at websites of advocacy organisations and industry associations like Transport 2000 - http://www.transport2000.ca/
general - Transportation Association of Canada
http://www.tac-atc.ca/
Ont. Good Roads Assoc. -
http://www.ogra.org/home.asp
Can. Trucking Alliance -
http://www.cantruck.com/
http://www.cantruck.com/news/news/2006/ctapr_2006_04_21_151342_i.php3
http://www.crashcanada.com/
Also see federal government departments -
http://www.tc.gc.ca/
http://www.ic.gc.ca/
http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/
http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/inter/index.html
see -
http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/fleetsmart.cfm
http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/
I totally agree - Canadians already pay much lower costs for resources like gas, electricity, water, etc., than many parts of the world. The gas tax is a great way to fund public transit, R&D and other iniatives that combat the pollution, congestion and infrastructure costs of a car-centric society. I haven't read the story, but maybe Judy's not so much for the tax cut as she is against Stephen Harper backing out on his promise to eliminate it after prices hit $0.85/L? 'Cause, I agree, I don't see how the NDP could be against it.
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