If you were in control of the gas prices, how would you lower the average cost per gallon?

Lowering gas prices at the pump is a counter-productive move over the long term. Instead of lowering gas prices, the tax rate on gasoline should be sharply increased.

In the US, in particular, and in almost every other country, the price consumers pay for gasoline at the pump comes nowhere close to covering the actual cost of the fuel and the maintenance of a national transportation infrastructure. The cost of the US incursion into Iraq is a timely example of hidden costs. An increase in fuel taxes will reduce the number of miles driven and help force consumers to look into more economical and environmentally-friendly forms of transportation. Purchasing a vehicle that has better fuel economy will reduce both the cost of driving and the volume of harmful emissions. Among other problems, fossil fuels are carbon-positive - burning them transfers the entrapped carbon into the atmosphere. Something as simple as buying a vehicle with a diesel engine will help in this regard.

The revenue from the increased taxes should be put into the maintenance of the existing infrastructure and the development of alternate fuel sources. Hydrogen fuel cells are still a long way away from being economically viable and a hydrogen fuel-distribution infrastructure does not yet exist. This will not spring into being overnight and will be very expensive and time-consuming to construct.

However, rather than pinning all of our plans on a single fuel source, it would be better to diversify both the types of fuel in service and the types of vehicles used by consumers. Carbon-neutral fuel sources, such as biodiesel (for compression-ignition engines) and ethanol (for spark-ignition engines), are good examples of fuels that can be used in vehicle fleets with relatively few changes to the engines and fuel systems. Electric vehicles, particularly NEVs (Neighbourhood Electric Vehicles) and LSEVs (Low-Speed Electric Vehicles), can provide a short-range, low-speed alternative for urban consumers.

Gasoline - it’s too cheap for our own good.

i would remove the taxes. it is apparently a big secret how much gasolene is and how much the added taxes are. the taxes is what makes gas so expensive. its done on a percentage basis, so when gas goes up, then so do the taxes.

I would add a tax to increase the price at the pump to about $4/gallon. Usage would plummet, and the price of crude would drop to about $40, which is what Americans want (and what the Saudis, Iranians, Russians, Nigerians, and Venezualans don't). Use the proceeds from the tax to subsidize mass transit, which should be a public service that we take pride in (instead of the transportation method associated with welfare and dirty people). Mass transit should be almost free, except for a nominal administrative charge (to keep the riff-raff from sleeping on the busses). We Americans love our low taxes and cheap gas a bit too much, and don't see what bad strategy this is.

I would promote mass transit for everyone! If most people used it, the price per gallon would have to drop because little gas would be used by the consumers!

Depends on whose paying me? Is it really in my best interest to lower it? I think the govt sure lower its taxes on fuel and only use what it collects on the roads instead of putting it in the general fund so it can be use for something else. Look at what the govt charges the average longhaul trucker in the US. Its about $20,000 in fuel taxes alone and there's between 2.5 and 5 million trucks out there not counting the Canadian, Mexican trucks and local trucks that buy fuel here.

25 cents.

My 2 cents.

SOLUTION TO HIGH GAS PRICES


Of the total amount of gasoline consumed in the United States a significant portion is for essential travel purposes, i.e., to and from work. The balance is consumed for discretionary purposes and commercial traffic. It is the high prices for essential travel that is hurting the average working American.

To address the issue, gasoline supplies should be rationed for essential travel and sold to individuals at a fixed price of $1.50 per gallon. The balance of the gasoline supplies would be sold at market prices. For example, when you drive into a gas station you will find two types of pumps. One set of pumps would be for “essential gas” and the other set of pumps would be for “market gas”. Each individual would be issued an essential gas card that would allow the “essential gas” pump to operate for a pre-determined amount of gas for a calendar week or month or year. Perhaps the amount allowed would be 80% of the perceived need for essential gas. The other 20% and all discretionary gas would have to be purchased at the “market gas” pumps.

If essential gas can be purchased at $1.50 per gallon and market gas purchased at $5.00+ per gallon, it would relieve the financial burden on American families and hopefully reduce the wasteful use of this precious resource. Since the supply of oil is limited, this approach should be implemented in conjunction with a massive program to find alternative energy to drive the transportation systems.

The bottom line is that the $1.50 gas would be subsidized by the market gas users, which typically would be purchased by people who can afford to waste gas.