"Gas Tax Holiday" On-Line Calculator - How much would you save? $12.94 for me

[rust1d]

John McCain and Hillary Clinton have suggested suspending Federal Taxes on all Gasoline/Diesel sold between Memorial Day (5/26) and Labor Day (9/1) this year.

According to state highway officials and this http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/us/politics/29campaign.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin">article in the New York Times, this "Gas Tax Holiday" will lower tax revenue by roughly $9 billion and potentially cost 300,000 highway construction jobs. The highway trust fund that the gas tax finances provides money to states and local governments to pay for http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4219981.html">road and bridge construction, repair and maintenance.

I created an online javascript calculator to show you how much you stand to save if this pander-fest is actually enacted:

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=13lkzo">

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=13lkzo

[Danger Mouse]

1. in other words, diddly shit.

[flpoljunkie]

19. Political cartoonist Tony Auth's take on this pander fest...

[bunnies]

125. The funniest part of that is Hillary pumping gas...

Second time in 20 years? :rofl:

[islandmkl]

2. thanks for the work involved...

great post..

:thumbsup:

[Bigleaf]

3. I saved a whole $ 19.71. Wow, maybe I should change my support to Hillarity.

:sarcasm:

[rust1d]

4. sounds like a $19.71 donation to Obama is in order!

[Bigleaf]

Good idea rust1d!

[high density]

5. Sixteen bucks!!

That solves all of my problems. It's even more useful than that $600 the Fed is sending my way.

[TahitiNut]

6. $10.36

:bounce:

[Seen the light]

7. $20.50 here n/t

[sniffa]

8. $2.08

:woohoo:

We don't drive very far at all save for our every other month or so trip out to the western part of the state. We use the car to go grocery shopping, and take the train for work, school, and some errands or days/nights out.

[Maddy McCall]

9. Almost $100 for me.

[Barack_America]

27. I take it you're a trucker?

:shrug:

[Renew Deal]

75. It's for her rocket ship

[Debi]

53. Wow, what do you do that you drive so much? n/t

[superkia]

126. Holy shit! What do you drive? At 10mpg you would commute...

about 365 miles per week. You are killing our planet ::o: We should all donate to buy you a better vehicle if you are commuting that much at 10mpg! WOW! I hope you make a ton to afford paying $500+ a month in fuel costs.

[bigtree]

10. how much would a long-distance trucker gain?

a taxi driver; a delivery service . . . ?

[purji]

28. diesel tax is 14.5% so you would need a different calculator.n/t

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Just enought to buy more Obama stickers

[helderheid]

12. Send this to the Obama camp!! They could put it next to this:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/gasprices1

[quakerboy]

13. $6.90

Thats damn well worth screwing the infrastructure for. I could do an extra load of laundry

[helderheid]

14. kick - still time for Rs!!

[Secret_Society]

15. Where do you people live...under your desk lol

$63.27 for me

[ElsewheresDaughter]

16. my family would save $96.70

[IndianaJones]

20. thats pocket change for Obamatons. I'd be interested to see a trucker use this calculator.

Of course, many of them are just typical white people.

[rust1d]

25. 300,000 Construction Workers will loss their jobs

I'm sure that a lot of them are "Typical White People" and not elite.

How much will this save them? I guess not affording gas saves you the taxes too!

[PBS Poll-435]

62. Do you have proof of that?

Or more smoke

[redqueen]

89. The Congressional Budget Office estimates removing the tax, even for the summer, would cost 300,000

construction jobs.

http://www.thestar.com/News/USElection/article/420202

[PBS Poll-435]

99. That is not Hillary's plan though.

She is going to offset the missing highway fund revenue with money from the general fund.

[redqueen]

100. General fund? I thought it was coming from a windfall tax... has her plan changed? (nt)

[PBS Poll-435]

102. I believe the WF Profits tax is the offset for the money that is taken from the general fund.

The whole idea is that this is supposed to be revenue neutral while reducing the actual price of gas 5-7%

[redqueen]

104. The whole idea is laughable. First of all, neither she nor McCain will be

in a position to do any of this by this summer.

Second of all, if the price were reduced, it would go right back up. Supply and demand.

Third of all, any windfall tax would have to get through congress first.

[PBS Poll-435]

109. You think this would have an effect on the wholesale price of gasoline?

[redqueen]

116. Demand goes up, prices go up.

I don't claim to know at which point along the supply chain the increase would manifest, but it would.

[purji]

49. you would need a different calculator diesel is taxed at 14.5%.n/t

[IndianaJones]

61. 24 cents vs 18. I believe both would be covered. nt.

[rust1d]

122. I can tell you never clicked

because the calculator has both Gas and Deisel

[Debi]

54. That's three times what my family would save - you must commute quite a bit to get to work n/t

[ElsewheresDaughter]

121. school district covers 422 squre miles...just to work on a joint project I drive my kids 115 miles..

to a classmates home. 27 miles there to drop her off, 27 miles back home....then the same later that day to pick her up and I have 4 kids.
softball, baseball, basketball, and soccer games almost daily.

I run a nonprofit for rural at risk youth in our very large rural community...and my hubby is a captain on the NYC fire department. his commute is 130 miles each one way three times a week.

nearest grocery store is 20 miles

I under estimated our consumption

[NotThisTime]

17. 15.05 over 15 weeks, what a joke...

[indimuse]

18. $156.40

Outside sales...I shot low.

[Debi]

56. Wow, that's a lot - how many miles a week do you drive? n/t

[onenote]

60. apparently he/she drives around 8500 miles per month.

Unless they have a pretty fuel inefficient vehicle.

[Debi]

83. Well, if they have a travelling sales business it's legitimate

right? :shrug:

[onenote]

86. could be. still, that's nearly five hours of driving every day, 7 days a week.

And that's clearly not the norm. For the vast majority of people, the "savings" from the gas tax 'holiday' -- assuming against all evidence that the price of gas doesn't actually increase because of increased demand, is quite small.

[jeffrey_X]

120. Yes, but they should get reimbursed for either mileage or gas receipts

eom

[Debi]

127. If you own your business 'reimbursement' just means moving money from one account

to the other. It doesn't help in covering expenses.

[susankh4]

21. I will save about $500

As I run rescue transports between OH and CT every few weeks.

That would help me alot!

[IndianaJones]

23. its not about how much it would help people like you, its about how little it will help Obamatons.nt

[susankh4]

52. $500 is actually a conservative estimate...

It all depends on how many transports I do. I could save $750 or more....

This issue is going to hurt Mr. Obama out here in the midwest. Folks here drive alot. When he says "it will save the average driver $25 or $30" he highlights a huge divide, and a misunderstanding between "elite" city dwellers and rural/ small town folk. (Not a good way for him to go right now.)

Honestly.... I am looking forward to the day when I don't have to drive so much. I'm planning my retirement to be in a city with more public transit that I have access to now. And I am really looking forward to effective hybrid technology that will aid me on the long rescue runs I do.

But..... like many other midwesterners... right now I have to drive if I am to work.

[onenote]

59. you drive over 27,000 miles every month?

Wow!!!
The tax is 18.4 cents/gallon, which means to save $500 you'd have to buy over 2700 gallons of gas over the next three months. At a generous 30 miles to the gallon, you would travel over 81,000 miles on that much gas. Divided by 3 months, that works out to over 27,000 miles/month. Now, if you only get, say 20, mpg, you would only have to drive 54,000 miles this summer (18,000/mo), but I'm not sure why you should be rewarded for having a less fuel efficient vehicle.

[Occam Bandage]

70. Hey, at 60mph, that's only 450 hrs (18.75 24-hr days) per month spent driving!

I bet that poster isn't lying though.

[onenote]

73. well, I am having trouble figuring out when he/she has time to post on DU

[susankh4]

74. I drive from Ohio to Connecticut every few weeks.

That is 800 miles each way. I drive either a mini van or a sub-SUV.... depending on how many animals I am transporting.

I also rescue from shelters all over Ohio, IN, KY. Some of them are as far away as 200 miles.

I suppose I could quit this line of work and do my part to increase the euthanasia rate in midwest shelters... but I think what I am doing is important.

There are many volunteers who do what I do. And some of them are dropping out, because of gas prices.

I am hanging in there, tho. And... quite honestly a few hundred bucks would help. It would also likely bring more volunteer rescuers back on board.

[Occam Bandage]

78. You make 17 round trips per month? You'd have to, in order

to hit $500.

[susankh4]

81. No. I make about two 1600 mile runs.... plus "local" runs of up to

400 miles each.

Maybe the calculator malfunctioned when I put my numbers in... but that it what it spit back.

It is down now, BTW. I will try again later.

Off to Indiana now....

[rust1d]

98. lol - take that shovel out of his hand!

he's digging himself to China!

[Occam Bandage]

76. You realize, of course, that you just claimed you drive 15 hrs per day, every day.

[redqueen]

91. Honesty.

It's a good thing.

[JTFrog]

97. Maybe that's Penelope! I thought she was in Italy!!

http://www.jibjab.com/view/163088

Penelope skit SNL.

[redqueen]

90. I live in a small town. 40 miles round trip to work, minimum.

Please...

[Leopolds Ghost]

110. There used to be jobs in that small town, I bet...

There will be again (as there is in most countries) when gas reaches $6 a gallon.

Look, we are running out of gold and diamonds and copper in the ground
too. But that is not a consumable resource and can be recycled. Still,
when gold and copper are 100% recycled or from vaults (as diamonds nearly
are) they will become incredibly expensive backup currency as the dollar
floats on imported petroleum and sinks and sinks as petroleum and gold
rises. Want to save the petrodollar? Tie it to the cost of gold or oil.

In a scarcity economy This will, of course, massively hurt
global elite investors (those "elites" Clinton voters claim to hate -- but
I expect it is merely the socialism of fools and they don't attack the
real elites) by redistributing wealth to the end consumer.

It would also consolidate jobs here at home and hurt poor people in
dollar-poor nations that, unlike us, have no military control over
the last remaining major oil resources. It would force them to develop
their own economies independent of being a US cottage industry
neocolonial client state for Wal-Mart.

Eliminating food subsidies for the export market would have a similar
effect, since it would drive up the cost of US exported grain, thus
lowering the relative cost of local farm-produced food in the third
world, making it possible for subsistence farmers not to starve against
US imports brought in for "famine relief".

A fixed petrodollar would similarly eliminate exploitation, even if
dollar poor countries were still dirt poor they would be able to use
dollars as a medium of exchange because it would be tied to oil.
But it would solve the problem wouldn't it?

[redqueen]

118. Heh, no. No factories...

It's a farming town. There's a railroad stop where gravel and such are offloaded onto trucks, but that's still there.

There are still some cattle ranches and farms, but it's mostly turning into a bedroom community for the north side of the metroplex, it seems.

And yeah, it would... but it won't happen. Too much money to be made by the real elites.

[Leopolds Ghost]

107. I hear you... but when did city dwellers become "elite"?

The reality is that the super-rich are pricing poor blacks, poor whites
and "ordinary white folk" out of transit servicability areas on a daily
basis because (a) that is where many Americans want to live, where they
don't have to drive so much and (b) transit-oriented development is
illegal in most parts of the US that are not already urban, and illegal
in small towns that are not suburban, creating a skewed, Prohibition
economy where buildings are worth more if you burn them down and build
high rises surrounded by parking lots.

For "ordinary Midwesterners" to blame "urban elites" as if there was more
than one ELITE doing the damage, is misdirected anger!

[cali]

42. sorry, there's no guarantee that big oil won't raise prices commensurate

to or almost commensurate to the tax reduction.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

43. What incentive does it give them to reign in prices at all?

[RichardRay]

46. As a matter of fact, there is no reason to believe they WON'T

Prices WILL rise right back to where they are now and then continue to increase at their current rate. The whole thing is a complete chimera.

[dbmk]

51. If they don't do it on purpose, supply/demand will still make it happen.

[susankh4]

55. Not likely.

Cuz they know if they do they will face untold anger from BOTH sides of the aisle after we elect a new Prez. And if that Prez. is Hillary they will pay for sticking it to the middle class.

Not sure what Mr. McCain would do to get even. But, you know.... he has an "anger problem" they say.

[cali]

64. I'm sorry, that's just painfully naive.

they've been sticking it the middle class and getting away with it nicely for years now, and they'd certainly come up with bullshit to justify and enough would swallow it. Just like it's ever been. And McCain is extremely cozy with big oil. And then, as someone mentioned, there's supply and demand.

[Occam Bandage]

66. "untold anger?" You serious, Clark? Gas prices are rocketing up what, 50c/yr?

You think there would be riots in the streets because they go up an extra 18c?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

68. Untold anger? People are *hooked* on gas. We need it to get to our jobs

What could we possibly do other than piss and moan about it?

[Occam Bandage]

67. Especially if its paid for with a windfall tax.

Each gallon of gasoline would end up having the exact same net tax levied--just at different stages of the process.

[redqueen]

101. That's if the windfall tax even gets through congress.

I don't see that as a sure thing.

[JVS]

112. That's 2700 gallons in 15 weeks! 9630/ year You spend about $30,000 a year!

[eleny]

22. $2.12 -- I'm retired and plan local trips carefully to cluster errands

[Occam Bandage]

24. $34.50, at about 1000mi/mo.

[Froward69]

26. $7.88

ohhh big savings...

[BlueGirlRedState]

29. About $23 for me...

I could get my hair cut...
or my nails done...

[Kaylee]

30. I save 43 bucks!!! Who hooo!

:eyes:

[RichardRay]

31. Damn it, stop the craziness

In order to save even the amounts indicated by the calculator you have to assume that the price will remain stable at the lower level for the entire 15 weeks - IT WON'T - at least not without a price control imposed by the government.

People are currently deciding how far to drive based not on how many miles they must drive, but on how many miles they can afford to drive. Unless you believe that the 'holiday' will change people's wants and preferences, then it's likely that people will simply buy more gas at the reduced price - i.e., supply will be stressed at the same level it is now. At that point prices will just start rising, and quickly, until we're back at equilibrium.

So, you say, let's impose a price ceiling along with the tax holiday. Do you know what you get when price can't rise in the face of excess demand? You get really long freaking lines at the pumps - anybody else here remember 1973?

There is evidence that a substantial traunch of the increase in prices is caused by more and more speculators taking longer and longer positions on crude oil. The only way that would be a bad investment would be if there were some massive new source of oil suddenly discovered, or if some other energy source became available as a subsitute for oil. The first (massive new source) is unlikely. We could empty the SPR and drill holes in every square foot of the Artic and we wouldn't make a dent in the demand for crude. We've had a couple of decades to make the investments required to bring substitutes on line, but we haven't done that, either.

Chicken, meet roost.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

32. Isn't it amazing that Obama supporters don't drive at all and Clinton suppporters apparently drive

all over the country and both groups fall directly in line with what would best prove their point? Crazy!

[susankh4]

58. Actually it is not that surprising.

City folk do break for Obama more often than rural folk. Look at the primary vote breakouts in OH and PA to see what I mean.

Big cities have mass transit. Rural areas do not. And amenities are spaced farther apart in less urban areas. Long commutes are common.

Again, I think this issue could signal... once again... that Mr. Obama is out of touch with how middle America lives. When he says "you'll save $25" he is clearly talking ONLY to someone who lives in Chicago, or Boston, or NYC. Folks in rural or small town OH, IN, KY, PA, W.VA. have much different driving patterns than he does, apparently.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

65. Except he used the national average, not the city average.

And none of this takes into account the deterioration of the roads and loss of jobs.

[redqueen]

92. I live in a rural area. I drive a lot, but I bought a smart car.

:)

[progressoid]

33. BAH, Who needs bridges and all that crap anyway.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

34. Obama supporter: I'd only save six cents!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

35. Clinton supporter: I'd save a kajillion dollars!

[PVnRT]

39. Kind of how this thread is shaking up

Of course, that was completely expected.

[tammywammy]

$26.08 and that's mostly b/c I drive a diesel, it's tax is $0.292

Between 5/26 and 9/1 you will drive 3750 miles. At 42 miles per gallon, you will burn 89.3 gallons of Diesel.

Your Total Tax Relief would be $26.08

[PVnRT]

36. Thirty-five dollars OH HELL YEAH

I'm going to Sizzler.....I'm going to Sizzler....by myself.

[Cal Carpenter]

37. Seven bucks and some change

barring any unplanned road trips. Maybe add a couple bucks just in case.

Gee, what a relief :eyes:

[Buzz Clik]

38. $22.08. And just think, you too might be able to take this picture out your windshield

with your cellphone camera:



Thanks, Hillary! My $22 helped contribute to the continued decay of the US infrastructure.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

40. For me, the small amount of money I'd get is not my main problem with the idea.

[Buzz Clik]

48. I don't think that's anybody's problem. It's the pandering, the silliness, the way it won't work, ..

... the negative repercussions, etc.

[Abacus]

41. $15 for my family

I avoid about 30 miles/week by biking to work; that includes temperatures between 5 deg and 98 deg

[Debi]

44. $34.50 here

not worth the loss of jobs and delayed construction projects imo.

[alcibiades_mystery]

45. $7.53

It's a remarkably stupid idea and evidence of senseless pandering of the highest order for Hillary and McCain.

[CitizenLeft]

47. because I'm lucky enough to live close to work,

...I save a whopping $5.17.

[dkf]

50. $23 bucks for me...

What in the world ARE Clinton folk driving? Hummers?

[Texas Hill Country]

57. its more about trucking companies than individual consumers

[EnviroBat]

63. Oh Goody!

I'll save $19.00. Now I will be able to buy milk and a fucking loaf of bread!

According to some's "logic" this is more about the trucking companies and not about individulals. So let me get this straight. The trucking companies do the most physical damage to the roadways, but we'll suspend the tax used to fix those roads. Real concise argument there ignored.

:eyes:

[L0oniX]

69. Wow ...with all that savings I'll be able to go see a Hanna Montana movie.

:evilgrin:

[malta blue]

71. $69 for me.

[City Lights]

72. I'd save about $17.00.

Whoop-de-friggin-do.

[Renew Deal]

77. Around $10

What's another falling bridge or two?

[rniel]

79. $12.94 saved and

You get to drive on shitty roads because not enough tax money to repair them.

[Avalux]

80. 17.26 for me! That won't buy crap, lol!

Between 5/26 and 9/1 you will drive 3000 miles. At 32 miles per gallon, you will burn 93.8 gallons of Gasoline.

Your Total Tax Relief would be $17.26

[Joe the Revelator]

82. I drive 300 miles a week in a gas guzzling F-150 and my savings will be a whopping $49.68

My once a week fill up is 88 dollars.

That really isn't going to help me spread out over 15 weeks.

[Emillereid]

84. I don't drive much, have a Honda and would only save $2.56! This tax break is a stupid gimmick.

[grantcart]

85. none

prices are determined by supply and demand not cost

[redqueen]

94. THANK YOU!

Whatever the market will bear...

[americanstranger]

87. And the funniest part of all this?

Clinton hasn't even bothered to introduce legislation for this 'great idea.'

She'd better put down the French Vanilla cappuccino and get her ass back to DC and submit this. Summer's creepin' up on us, and I need that $4.14 I'll get to put the down payment on that yacht I've had my eye on.

(Or she's just paying lip service to the idea and has no intention of doing anything except let the oil companies bend us over the table...)

- as

[redqueen]

88. $17.42

:woohoo:

[Jed Dilligan]

93. If I took a long trip that week I would save about 7 bucks.

[spanone]

95. ain't gonna happen this summer, hillary nor mccain are president..moot

[redqueen]

106. Amazing that this kind of pandering BS gets this much play, isn't it?

[Sandaasu]

96. $40.59

I don't care who supports it and who doesn't, it's a bad idea. Gas prices should be reined in though price controls so the costs are to the oil companies who are making massive profits, rather than the federal government which is downing in debt. It's a stupid idea, and the sellers are likely to just gouge us more anyway with this new opportunity to do it.

Efficient car, lots of driving.

[Coexist]

103. $16.56... or what I just spent at the Dollar Store today!

lol!

[AllentownJake]

105. $13.63

Thanks Clinton and McCain. I can buy lunch for two at Burger King.

[CaptJasHook]

108. 14.18 for me! Wow, what do I do with the cash???

[chitty]

111. Meh............

$68.

I think I'll donate that much to Obama and also raise it another $132 to make it a neat $200.

[Skidmore]

113. $19.32

About half a tank of gas. 4 loaves of bread. 3.5 gallons of milk. Half of one month of my basic phone bill.

I'm so glad Obama is calling McCain-Clinton on this BS.

[Heathen57]

114. We would save a whopping $26.83

which comes out to less than a half tank of gas. We traded vehicles a couple months ago. Went from a 12 year old custom van that got 13 MPG to a mini van/ SUV that is getting 18 MPG in the city at a minimum. However the extra MPG we gained have been more than offset by the Price.

What we need is a permanent drop in the prices, not a pandering pittance to satisfy the peasants.

[Writer]

115. My husband's savings: $30.67. In a HYBRID.

He drives 100 miles/day back and forth to work. He drives a hybrid that averages around 45mpg.

He will save $30.67... until we are able to sell our house and move closer. Oh but wait, the real estate market...

That's an oil change for him.

[cliffordu]

117. Zero dollars..... Oh, wait - I don't have a car....

Nevermind!!!

:hi:

[Xithras]

119. $5.83 for mjst my car.

I don't drive a whole lot, and my car is fairly efficient. If you count in my wife, who drives a less efficient minivan, the savings jumps to about $23. If we take our annual trip to my parents place in Oregon this summer, the savings will be about $40 over the entire summer.

[TexasLady]

123. 6.90

I don't have to do the school thing in the summer. So my trips are just grocery stores and errands.
Double that for my husband, he has to deliver computers about half the time, people deliver to us the other half.

[AZBlue]

124. You've got one false assumption: that the oil companies would pass along the savings to consumers.

Because the oil companies always do what's right and don't keep the money for themselves like the greedy pigs they are?