Americans Would Support Higher Gas Tax to Reduce Global Warming

Americans are generally opposed to raising the federal tax on gasoline, but a majority would support a gasoline tax increase if they knew the money would be used to reduce global warming or to lessen United States dependence on foreign oil, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in late February 2006.
The Pros and Cons of Raising the Federal Gasoline Tax
Advocates of a higher gasoline tax tend to argue that raising the tax will cause people to drive less, reduce gasoline consumption, and provide more money for transportation priorities. People who oppose a gasoline tax increase generally argue that taxes are too high already and should be reduced, or that a higher tax on gasoline would fall hardest on those who can least afford it.

Both Democrat and Republican party leaders are opposed to increasing the gas tax—which has been 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993—and no wonder. Eighty-five percent of those polled opposed an increase in the federal gasoline tax, so at first glance the poll suggests that politicians have good reason to oppose a tax increase on behalf of their constituents. However, more targeted questions brought surprising responses.
A Majority of Americans Support Targeted Gas Tax Increase
Fifty-five percent of those polled said they would support an increase in the federal gasoline tax if it would reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. Fifty-nine percent said they would support a tax increase if it would result in less gasoline consumption and less global warming. (The nationwide telephone poll surveyed 1,018 adults; the margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.)
But not every taxpayer priority sparked support for a gas tax increase. For example, only 24 percent of those polled said they would support a higher federal gasoline tax if the new revenue was used to fight terrorism.
Economists Urge Lower Income Taxes to Offset Gas Tax Increase
According to The New York Times, many mainstream economists believe that the best way to reduce gasoline consumption is by raising the gas tax significantly—perhaps $1 per gallon over five years—while lowering income taxes to offset the added cost. The goal would be to force people to drive less because of the increased cost of gasoline, but to reduce the overall financial impact with the offset, which many economists believe would actually improve things for most low- and middle-income people.
While many economists may support the idea of offsetting a gasoline tax increase by lowering federal income taxes, people who responded to the poll were not wild about the idea. Only 28 percent said they would support a gasoline tax hike if their income taxes or payroll taxes were lowered to provide an offset.
Even so, many experts believe raising the federal gasoline tax could go a long way toward reducing America’s gasoline consumption.
Raising Gasoline Taxes Would Lower Gasoline Consumption
According to Severin Borenstein, director of an energy institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a 10 percent increase in gasoline prices would reduce consumption by 6 percent to 8 percent over time.
On the other hand, if the price of gasoline went down, people would be less likely to buy fuel-efficient cars, relocate to be closer to their jobs, or look for other ways to reduce their commute, their use of gasoline and, ultimately, the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.