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Oil Crisis Explained in 3 Minutes

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31–33 of 33 posts

Re: Oil Crisis Explained in 3 Minutes

#31
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I've read ordinary passenger vehicles put just about no strain on modern roads. Only heavy vehicles like semis do. Tax is tax, money is fungible.

Even if this is true, the business owners' argument to Congress would be that the consumer will pay for it either way; businesses that depend on transportation would just raise prices to compensate.

I believe that it should the cost to repair roads should be the responsibility of those who cause the damage. Yes, this would raise cost of goods shipped via truck. If you're ordering things that need to be shipped via truck, you should be responsible for that damage.

Why should I be taxed to fix road damage based on a metric that doesn't begin to accurately reflect my actual contribution to the problem?

Additionally, if the trucking industry had to raise rates due to a higher 'road maintenance tax' this may also make more efficient forms of transportation more popular, ie trains.

Re: Oil Crisis Explained in 3 Minutes

#32

Why not just implement tariffs on foreign oil?

You'd need to have enough local oil to pick up the slack. For what I know, US has been a net importer for decades...

Or maybe there are enough reserves, but they are in the long game and want to buy the foreign oil first... while the taking is good.

Re: Oil Crisis Explained in 3 Minutes

#33

Why not just implement tariffs on foreign oil?

You'd need to have enough local oil to pick up the slack. For what I know, US has been a net importer for decades... Or maybe there are enough reserves, but they are in the long game and want to buy the foreign oil first... while the taking is good.

Tariffs don't need to make foreign oil go away, only be strong enough to level domestic competition a bit. A $40/barrel tariff would still leave very low oil prices for imports, but at least allow for domestic competition... it isn't about totally squeezing a market out, only leveling some unfair trade practices that would hurt consumers/citizens in the long run.
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