Specop_007 wrote:We need less taxes, what with the dollar losing its value
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/257979a6-30f4- ... 511c8.html
trespam wrote:Specop_007 wrote:We need less taxes, what with the dollar losing its value
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/257979a6-30f4- ... 511c8.html
The dollar is losing its value because Americans are unwilling to pay for what they consumer, whether at the government level or the personal level. Look at the economist and what it has to say about the economic incompetence, for example, of the current administration:
http://economist.com/agenda/displayStor ... id=3351231
Energy taxes are a much wiser form of taxation than labor taxes. If we had started them years ago, the US would not be importing near the amount of energy from OPEC or other parts of the world, sending dollars abroad and therefore leading to further drops in the dollar.
The piper will be paid. If we don't pay for what we are consuming, the dollar will continue to drop and the standard of living of Americans will continue to decrease. In other words, higher taxes, or lower dollar, or lower services (e.g. toll roads and much more) will be necessary.
Barbara wrote:Just to remind you that here in EU we pay about $5 per gallon with heavy taxes, but people got accustomed. Economy is going as in the USA, people drive around alone like there's no tomorrow, there's a traffic like hell, every family has three or four cars.
Maybe the cars are smaller... but believe me: they buy smaller cars just because of those tiny city roads where they don't want to be glued in traffic, not for energy saving purposes.
When you speak of $5 per gallon as a disaster, you make me laugh: you don't know how people love their cars!
Permanently_Baffled wrote:Barbara wrote:Just to remind you that here in EU we pay about $5 per gallon with heavy taxes, but people got accustomed. Economy is going as in the USA, people drive around alone like there's no tomorrow, there's a traffic like hell, every family has three or four cars.
Maybe the cars are smaller... but believe me: they buy smaller cars just because of those tiny city roads where they don't want to be glued in traffic, not for energy saving purposes.
When you speak of $5 per gallon as a disaster, you make me laugh: you don't know how people love their cars!
I disagree with this Barbara. The higher fuel has without a doubt reduced consumption. The UK for example only 10 barrels of oil are consumed per capita per person per year. In the US this is over 26!
There maybe still loads of cars in Europe, but like you say there are smaller, doesnt matter if you have three or four cars , you can only drive one at a time!
PB
Madpaddy wrote:In Ireland they are proposing to tax SUVs unless you are either a builder or a farmer. It will be called a tax on vanity. Our economic boom has led to an unprecedented number of these monsters on the road and our roads are narrow especially in medieval town centres.
I am led to believe also that the US versions of SUVs available here commonly have twice the size of engine.
Why is this so?
Madpaddy wrote:In Ireland they are proposing to tax SUVs unless you are either a builder or a farmer. It will be called a tax on vanity. Our economic boom has led to an unprecedented number of these monsters on the road and our roads are narrow especially in medieval town centres.
I am led to believe also that the US versions of SUVs available here commonly have twice the size of engine.
Why is this so?
Madpaddy wrote:In Ireland they are proposing to tax SUVs unless you are either a builder or a farmer. It will be called a tax on vanity. Our economic boom has led to an unprecedented number of these monsters on the road and our roads are narrow especially in medieval town centres.
I am led to believe also that the US versions of SUVs available here commonly have twice the size of engine.
Why is this so?
Madpaddy wrote:Should have figured that out on my own. I suppose it is true that many Americans have never been outside the US and vacation at home.
Could it be argued that us Europeans who fly to our holiday destinations use more fuel than Americans?
On average overall consumption by Europeans is less than half of Americans and there is room for big reductions over here also. Where I work we are putting in PIR (passive infra red) detectors in all offices so lights automatically turn off when you leave and don't turn on in the first place if natural lighting levels are high enough. We have realised that you can make people as energy aware as you like - they don't give a shit especially when they are not paying the bills so like bold children we have decided to take all responsibility out of their hands. They have no way of turning on lights for the sake of it. Duty personnel switch off computers in the evening getting rid of the blue glow from hundreds of unattended machines.
I don't know.
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