Pollution Taxes

Argument in favor:
Many benefits can come with increasing our pollution tax on gasoline. One of the major benefits for increasing the tax is that we would reduce the amount of pollution in our atmosphere and contribute more to government programs. According to pbs.org, by increasing the gas tax it can reduce the chain of pollution which leads to better health outcomes and climate change as well as congested roadways (Dan Siechel, pbs.org, 2018). People would be forced to use different alternatives to get from one place to another if they didn't want to pay the higher tax. Also by raising the tax on gas, we are able to contribute more to government programs. For example, we would be giving more to police, firefighters, and even help pay for the construction of roads. So by increasing the tax on gas, we could be benefiting others and our Earth in many different ways.

Argument against:
There are also many arguments against raising the gas tax. The number one argument is that people won't be able to afford it. It will especially hurt middle - income Americans who make up one third of the American population. According the Americans for Tax Reform, "if we increase 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 (Emma Boone, atr.org, 2015). If the tax in increased, it not only hurts the consumer but the economy as well and in this case, both parties lose. Not only is that all, but prices of production will rise as well because it would be more expensive to transport goods from one place to another and this also means more financial pressure on the middle class. Overall, raising the tax on gas might hurt the economy more than help it.

My position:
In my opinion, I don't think we should raise the gas tax. There could be too much to risk if we were to raise the tax and it would impact many aspects of the economy and the people. Many citizens are already struggling as it is to afford the daily necessities for life so increasing the tax rate would only hurt them more. Instead of putting the money to food, water, clothing, etc., they have pay an extra fee just to be able to transport themselves around the area. Even if we only increased by a little, it wouldn't have much on an effect on people with more money because it's easier for them to pay for things but it might hurt the minimum wage workers by a good amount. Also, it would put in a dent in our economic growth because it will impact the prices of the goods made. So, overall I do not think we should increase the tax on gas because it could hurt the economy by a great amount.