One benefit of the government increasing the pollution tax on gasoline is that it could potentially help lower the demand for oil, which is a natural resource that adds pollutants to the environment every day. By increasing taxes it will potentially lower the consumption of oil. "Therefore, I believe we need to limit our level of dependence on crude oil, and shift to more sustainable energy sources" (Robert Rapier, www.businessinsider.com, 2018). Increasing the pollution tax on gasoline would have the benefit of potentially lowering the demand/usage of oil, which is better for the environment.

One negative of the government increasing pollution taxes on gasoline is that it will hurt middle class Americans the most, and the middle class makes up nearly one-third of Americans. "By increasing the gas tax, not only are you lessening the amount of money in their pockets, but the amount of money being pumped into the economy is being lessened too" (Jsykes, www.atr.org, 2015). Ultimately rasing taxes on gasoline will not only hurt the wallet of many Americans but it will also hurt the economy. Increasing the pollution tax on gasoline has the negative that it will mainly hurt middle class Americans, which will in turn hurt the economy.

I believe that the US government should not increase the pollution taxes on gasoline because gasoline prices are high as it is, and it will leave many Americans without the ability to pay. Gasoline is expensive with the current federal sales tax on gasoline at $0.184/gallon. By increasing this tax it would be unfair because it would leave many Americans without the ability to pay the tax. Finally, I believe that the US government should not increase the pollution taxes on gasoline because it will cause the price of gas to be irrationally high.