Senators: Cap-and-Trade Is $3.6T Gas Tax
October 22, 2009

As Democratic lawmakers and climate change proponents continue to push cap-and-trade bills through Congress, U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Kit Bond (R-MO) on Thursday discussed and released a report, Climate Change Legislation: A $3.6 Trillion Gas Tax, which explains how the proposals will levy a massive new national gas tax on American families, farmers, workers and truckers.

"Cap-and-trade is a giant new gas tax on America's families, farmers and workers," said Senator Kit Bond. "We should not increase pain at the pump in these tough times."

"We can improve the environment and economy through American ingenuity and technological advancement, not with taxes and mandates that increase costs and burden American families and businesses," said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

The Hutchison-Bond report reveals how climate legislation, such as the House-passed Waxman-Markey bill, will increase the price of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, which is essential to farmers, small business workers, truckers and air passengers. The report details how gas taxes will affect farmers growing crops, workers driving to work, truckers delivering goods and other businesses running operations. The report also highlights that while provisions in proposed climate change bills intend to reduce the impact of these massive costs, the impact is extremely modest and leaving consumers with a $3.6 trillion gas tax bill.

During the news conference Thursday, Senators Hutchison and Bond joined Richard Cortese, a grain and livestock farmer, and Barbara Windsor, owner of a Maryland-based trucking company Hahn Transportation. They represent the small businesses and family farm operations which will be hurt by the current cap-and-trade proposals. Many farmers and ranchers like Cortese will share the pain of a $2.0 trillion gasoline tax and a $1.3 trillion diesel tax. Similar to Cortese and other producers, Windsor and millions of truckers will also suffer under the $1.3 trillion Waxman-Markey diesel tax. The Hutchison-Bond report illustrates how the new gas tax will total 3.6 trillion and affect all users of transportation fuel, directly or indirectly.

In support of the fight against the Senate's Kerry-Boxer and House-passed Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bills, the Hutchison-Bond report is supported by a variety of farming, small business and trucking consumer groups including the National Federation of Independent Business, American Highway Users Alliance, American Trucking Association, American Farm Bureau and National Black Chamber of Commerce. At the time of the press conference, key details, which would allow for a precise calculation of the gas tax in the Boxer-Kerry cap-and-trade bill, remained hidden. However, the Kerry-Boxer bill includes even more mandates than the House bill, which will result in a larger gas tax on Americans.

Source: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.

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