Yesterday on Fox News Sunday (the cable choice for most people) they had a politician (Corker of TN, republican) and former Obama car czar (Rattner) floating the idea that with the price of gasoline dropping that they should consider raising the federal gas tax.
The federal gas tax is not a percentage, it is a solid, real number that is attached to every gallon of gas we buy. Their tax take is based on how much gas we buy not on how much the price of gasoline is. In fact, with gasoline prices dropping the usage (meaning the tax take) will go up. They just see an opportunity to gouge us more and when the price of gasoline goes up (as it did in 2009) do you think they will lower the tax? Not very damn likely.
In Kansas, the combined federal and state tax on gasoline is 43.4 cents a gallon of which 18.4 cents is federal.
In Missouri, the combined number is 35.7 cents a gallon.
In Texas, the combined number is 38.4 cents a gallon.