For the record, I oppose the gas tax holiday unless it is a permanent vacation. And axing the gas tax is a solid policy move for Lefties who demand an all-electric future that will erase that tax. Why not start now? Not so fast, say Massachusetts Democrats who say No Tax Left Behind.
But Bay State Dems have their own reasons for rejecting the idea.
In a joint statement that set the tone for the Democrat-controlled Legislature, as well as the state Democrat Party, [House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, both Democrats] said a suspension would provide little relief but “will mostly mean more money for oil companies.”
“This isn’t fair, and we are not interested in benefiting multinational corporations while our residents continue to feel pain at the pump,” they said. Without naming specifics, they added they would work “diligently to find ways to deliver direct relief to residents.”
Both Mariano and Spilka support taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood which is a multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation. A global conglomerate that launders money into millions in campaign contributions to Democrats.
Hypocrisy much?
These are also Democrats who never met a tax they did not like. And the idea of direct relief gives them another opportunity to attach strings to the handouts, to manage citizens’ behavior.
Oh, and while erasing the gas tax would be an inevitable feature of their stated policy goals lowering or eliminating the tax might encourage more driving, not less, which is the proper final form of their plan. They can’t allow that.
Private transportation autonomy is a tremendous threat to the authoritarian tick. Just ask states like California. They are shedding residents in large numbers but only because they have the will and the means to get out from under the boot.
Transportation emissions theory has nothing to do with the planet, climate, sea level, or even air quality. It is about finding a policy path that ends with you trapped under that boot. And to get there from here, they will need more of your money, which means more taxes, not fewer.
