If you are in a hole, common sense says to stop digging. But the leadership in Congress is trying to do the exact opposite. With Missourians facing record prices at the pump, Democratic Congressman John Dingell has proposed raising the gasoline tax by 50 cents per gallon.

 

Raising taxes on motorists only hurts our families and hurts our economy. I will fight all attempts to raise the taxes Missouri families pay at the pump. We need to be working to reduce the price of gas, not increase it.

 

Congressman Dingell’s proposal would increase the federal gas tax from 18.4 cent per gallon tax to 68.4 cents per gallon. This represents a nearly 300 percent increase in the federal gas tax.

 

What’s worse, this proposed tax increase comes at a time when gas prices continue to rise. Since Nancy Pelosi has been in charge of Congress, gas prices have risen by one dollar per gallon. We do not need more taxes; we need an energy policy that addresses our growing energy costs. 

 

To combat rising energy prices, we need to increase American sources of energy. This includes increasing production of renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel.  It also includes tapping into the sources of energy we have and are not using in this country. Millions of barrels of oil exist in Artic National Wildlife Refuge and off the costal shelf, but are not currently being used. By going after the energy we have in our own backyard, we can reduce the prices we pay.

 

Missourians need an energy policy, not higher taxes on their gas.

 

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