Current Events > Biden to call on Congress, states to suspend gas taxes

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://twitter.com/abc/status/1539534047210266624?s=21&t=nbeCL51K0fSunmsV03Ly8A

I've got your commensurate relief right here if you know what I mean

So this whole time, Joe Biden could have done something about gas prices?

Pepys Monster posted...

So this whole time, Joe Biden could have done something about gas prices?

He can't directly do anything but he could have made this request weeks ago

why is he doing this instead of just turning down the gas prices dial on his desk?????

California: "Over my dead body!"

An extremely dumb "solution" to this problem

Pepys Monster posted...

So this whole time, Joe Biden could have done something about gas prices?

Couldn't each individual state have done this on their own without Biden asking?

Federal is 18 cents, each state averages about 25 cents on top of that. More about optics here than actually changing anything.

Pepys Monster posted...

So this whole time, Joe Biden could have done something about gas prices?

This is an article about him asking other people to do something about it

A_Good_Boy posted...

Couldn't each individual state have done this on their own without Biden asking?

Yes, their own taxes anyway. Some already have.

It's a largely meaningless gesture. Prices at the pump might go down 5 to 10 cents, but the rest of the tax break will go right into the pockets of oil companies.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/7/AAADpjAADUWR.jpg

Cant he just sign an EO to do idk, anything substantial about gas prices?

MaxEffingBemis posted...

Cant he just sign an EO to do idk, anything substantial about gas prices?

No

MaxEffingBemis posted...

Cant he just sign an EO to do idk, anything substantial about gas prices?

Nope, but voters thinking the President can do stuff like that is a big reason the party in power usually gets creamed in Midterm elections. The economy, in large part, is independent from the levers available to the President.

DuneMan posted...

The economy, in large part, is independent from the levers available to the President.

So Ronald Reagan did nothing wrong?

Pepys Monster posted...

So Ronald Reagan did nothing wrong?

Deregulation was wrong

For someone ignorant about oil/gas prices, is this related to Ukraine/Russia conflict? I can only remember gas prices being high, not even this high, when the Iraq war was in its initial stages.

MonkeyBones23 posted...

For someone ignorant about oil/gas prices, is this related to Ukraine/Russia conflict? I can only remember gas prices being high, not even this high, when the Iraq war was in its initial stages.

I recall the gas prices being similar to the prices in 2008-9.

Some people will really have their eyes opened to how much of their gas prices is taxes

Something to note about this is: it won't work
https://twitter.com/NPR/status/1539585257493745669

"It would be very unlikely that gas prices would fall by more than a dime because of this change. And oil company profits would go up by billions of dollars," said Jason Furman, who served as a top economic adviser to former President Barack Obama and is now at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Biden also plans to call on state governments to take similar actions with their own gas taxes, to give consumers relief. He wants oil refiners to boost their capacity so there's more gasoline on the market another way to bring down prices.
But there's no way to force those tax cuts to be passed through to consumers.

10-15 cents less per gallon can mean the difference between buying a loaf of bread or not for people who live paycheck to paycheck though

Pepys Monster posted...

So this whole time, Joe Biden could have done something about gas prices?

Biden is asking Congress and states to do something.

Unless you count asking as doing something I guess.

Will_VIIII posted...

10-15 cents less per gallon can mean the difference between buying a loaf of bread or not for people who live paycheck to paycheck though

How fucking cheap is bread in America holy shit

I dunno I think you can get the cheapest plain white bread loaf for $2-3

So pay a few cents less but drive on shittier roads.

__aCEr__ posted...

So pay a few cents less but drive on shittier roads.

IMO tackle one problem at a time

Bio1590 posted...

How fucking cheap is bread in America holy shit

Pretty cheap. A 24 oz loaf of wonderbread is like $2.00 plus tax. Some places around here have 99 cent baguettes but they're terrible.

Will_VIIII posted...

10-15 cents less per gallon can mean the difference between buying a loaf of bread or not for people who live paycheck to paycheck though

lol keep defending these empty gestures

He's doing this so it looks like he's doing somethign but it won't have any effect

Will_VIIII posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/7/AAADpjAADUWR.jpg

Democrats really should be pushing this.

Republicans are framing Biden for "raising" gas prices and Democrats are letting it happen.

Can't really "let it happen" given that there are 3 branches of government.
Kain Highwind posted...

lol keep defending these empty gestures

He's doing this so it looks like he's doing somethign but it won't have any effect

It's not a different for me personally, but for some that literally may be the difference between getting a loaf of bread and peanut butter just to have a meal.

Will_VIIII posted...

IMO tackle one problem at a time

The whole point of the gas taxes is to pay to improve the infrastructure of roadways. Getting rid of them isn't tackling the problem of high prices at the pump and would only slow down funds being set aside to fix broken roads.

__aCEr__ posted...

The whole point of the gas taxes is to pay to improve the infrastructure of roadways. Getting rid of them isn't tackling the problem of high prices at the pump and would only slow down funds being set aside to fix broken roads.

It wouldn't even slow it down.

IIRC the HTF can't be negative. If they get rid of the gas tax then they literally have to move that money from somewhere else.

DuneMan posted...

Nope, but voters thinking the President can do stuff like that is a big reason the party in power usually gets creamed in Midterm elections. The economy, in large part, is independent from the levers available to the President.

This

Seems like a bad idea. Dont we need the tax money for other things? I assume it goes to fixing roads mostly.

This is a bad idea; if states suspend it, then it will never be reinstated because "taxes bad".

whitelytning posted...

Seems like a bad idea. Dont we need the tax money for other things? I assume it goes to fixing roads mostly.

https://youtu.be/9OhIdDNtSv0

couldnt cap price gouging cuz that would help americans right gop fuck those guys

gunplagirl posted...

I've got your commensurate relief right here if you know what I mean

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/6/8/4/AAU2gcAADXvk.jpg

Another post echoing that this won't really do much at all. Either increase supply, which takes time, or decrease demand.
Maybe invest more in public transportation to curb issues in the future?