Today, Congress once again ignored what Americans want and introduced a new gasoline tax as part of a global warming bill that also contains a cap and trade energy tax on utilities. The section on the gas tax begins on p. 361.
Introduced by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), this bill requires American oil companies to pay a fee to the government for their global warming emissions.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who helped craft the gas tax, admitted the fee "will be passed on" to motorists in the form of higher gasoline prices.
But Senators Kerry and Lieberman are offended that any American would dare call it a gas tax.
Don't be fooled. This is a government requirement that will increase the cost of gasoline. It's a tax. So not only will we have to pay more for gas, we have the added insult of Senators insisting that what we can plainly see as a new gas tax is not actually a gas tax.
The American people know better. And according to an American Solutions poll, 71% of Americans oppose this new gas tax, even if politicians are insisting it is not a gas tax.
In addition, this bill creates a cap and trade system that will dramatically increase the cost of residential and commercial electricity prices.
Even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says cap and trade will kill jobs and reduce American productivity.
With one bill, Congress will raise gasoline and electricity prices, raise the cost of energy, and kill jobs. This is not the way to create jobs and prosperity.
This bill is wrong for America. Will you help us defeat it?
We need to get information about this new tax to as many people as possible in the next 48 hours. Please visit our "Action Center" to forward your friends a special message about this gas tax.
Thank you,
Vince Haley
Vice-President of Policy
