There are plenty of reasons to prevent elected officials from handing off taxing powers to unelected bureaucrats. But that’s what the Proposed Transportation Climate Initiative does. A Tax on motor fuels whose estimated hike, according to new research will be much higher than advertised.
Related: TCI is Accepting Public Comment: Tell Them the Solution is Less Government, Not More
The folks pushing the tax hike are low-balling the pinch to consumer’s wallets?
Gas prices could surge even higher under the Transportation Climate Initiative than originally estimated, a new study shows, costing families an average of at least $738 more a year.
“The people who are really going to be hit hard as a result of this are people who are driving into Boston every day, day-to-day workers, people driving for Uber, Lyft for work. They’re going to see dramatic increases,” study author William Burke said. “I think our estimates are even optimistic compared to what could actually happen.”
The “gas prices could rise as much as” number to sell this is 0.17 cents per gallon. That’s a lot. But the “study conducted by the Beacon Hill Institute and commissioned by the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance,” says it is more likely to be 0.26 cents per gallon and they say that’s optimistic.
A new study conducted by opponents of a regional cap-and-trade program for vehicle emissions found that assumptions made by Transportation and Climate Initiative states about the impact on the price of gas were greatly underestimated, and the program could increase the price of a gallon of gas by 26 cents.
Diesel, the report says, will probably rise by 0.52 cents a gallon.
Any increase will be downshifted into the cost of goods and services but that’s a significant hit to operating costs. Shipping costs from OTR/freight to your local FedEx and UPS delivery will rise significantly to absorb that cost.
Residents subjected to this will eat that at the pump and again in everything else they buy. Including the cost of government. State and local fleets will all pay more and pass that along as higher budgets and increased taxes.
Is it worth it? Even by its own estimates of the impact that this tax would have on “emissions” (if you believe that matters or is even plausible) TCI’s benefits are insignificant. “A temperature decline of less than a thousandth of a degree by 2100.”
You know there is a better way but with this plan the government gets more of your money, you get more misery and inconvenience, and nothing else changes. And there won’t be anyone you can kick out of office after it’s passed. The taxing body is not elected. To the tax and spend left, this is perfect.
If Massachusetts embraces it and New Hampshire continues to balk ( and we need a Republican governor or Republican legislature (preferably both) for that to continue, Massachusetts’ mistake is our gain. But I wouldn’t wish this on them for that.
TCI is a cruel joke with a meaningless punchline. It needs to go away, but the Northeast is loaded with Democrats in both parties, so we’ll have to fight year-after-year to keep it at bay. Just like the anti-gun laws.
