A gas tax to fund clean vehicle tax credits?

Let gas-guzzlers fund hybrid tax credits?

It is not very common to hear support for a gas tax coming out of Detroit, but that is exactly what Daniel Howes is supporting in his DetroitNews column today.

"We Americans can have the collective attention span of 4-year-olds -- we want what we want when we want it and complain loudly when we don't get it," Howes begins his commentary as he ridicules consumers and "politicians-cum-nannies" whom have tried to blame everyone but gas-guzzling consumers for high gasoline prices.

Yet, once prices hit $3.00, consumer behaviour changed rather quickly, which is exactly why, Howes argues, that a gas tax - not the vilification of oil companies via taxes, etc. - would be the "quickest, if not the wisest, way to cut fuel consumption and change behavior".

Unfortunately, that's probably political suicide, even if it is the right thing. Inevitably and ultimately politicians are far more focused on maintaining power than on doing the right thing - but that's a whole other sad story.

Automakers and oil companies deserve blame, but consumers deserve at least as much blame. I think a gas tax is a great idea - as long as every cent of the tax incentive is given back to consumers whom buy hybrid cars and other clean energy technologies.