Today, for the first time ever, $40 did not fill my gas tank. Mind you, I drive a '97 Honda Accord, so it isn't as if I have this huge gas guzzling boat.
I don't know much about cars, but I can't imagine that I have more than a 14-gallon gas tank.
If the cost of gas tops out at $4 this summer, it will cost $56 a week to fill my gas tank. Astounding considering that the summer the car was made, gas was only 99 cents a gallon.
It's apparent that gasoline is no longer the way to go.
Green living is definitely the wave of the future. But in the meantime, what relief is there for the average Joe?
Some lawmakers in Albany are pushing for a summer tax break. The resolution would lift taxes on gasoline from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
With tax on gas at roughly 60 cents a gallon; on the surface, this seems like a good idea.
Those in support of the measure are quick to note that New York state residents pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country, nearly double the national average.
But the money wouldn't come out of thin air. The break would come out of state coffers and could reach as much as $600 million.
As the average savings per motorist is predicted to be less than $100 over the summer, a tax repeal sounds like a load of hooey.
Although the break would provide a little immediate relief, a couple dollars each stop at the pump; in the end it is nothing more than an effort by politicians to address the barrage of complaints about the ever-rising cost of fuel.
The fact is that this is a federal issue. New York state has no say whatsoever in the cost of gasoline.
Besides which, oil companies and service stations will most likely raise their prices anyway to profit from the tax break.
The solution? Tough it out until a viable gas alternative becomes readily available.
In the meantime car pool, ride a bike or walk as much as possible.
The best way to beat the oil companies is to eliminate our dependency on oil.
In the end, a few dollars in tax relief hardly seems worth increasing the state deficit over a federal issue.
Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
If the cost of gas tops out at $4 this summer, it will cost $56 a week to fill my gas tank. Astounding considering that the summer the car was made, gas was only 99 cents a gallon.
It's apparent that gasoline is no longer the way to go.
Green living is definitely the wave of the future. But in the meantime, what relief is there for the average Joe?
Some lawmakers in Albany are pushing for a summer tax break. The resolution would lift taxes on gasoline from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
With tax on gas at roughly 60 cents a gallon; on the surface, this seems like a good idea.
Those in support of the measure are quick to note that New York state residents pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country, nearly double the national average.
But the money wouldn't come out of thin air. The break would come out of state coffers and could reach as much as $600 million.
As the average savings per motorist is predicted to be less than $100 over the summer, a tax repeal sounds like a load of hooey.
Although the break would provide a little immediate relief, a couple dollars each stop at the pump; in the end it is nothing more than an effort by politicians to address the barrage of complaints about the ever-rising cost of fuel.
The fact is that this is a federal issue. New York state has no say whatsoever in the cost of gasoline.
Besides which, oil companies and service stations will most likely raise their prices anyway to profit from the tax break.
The solution? Tough it out until a viable gas alternative becomes readily available.
In the meantime car pool, ride a bike or walk as much as possible.
The best way to beat the oil companies is to eliminate our dependency on oil.
In the end, a few dollars in tax relief hardly seems worth increasing the state deficit over a federal issue.
Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com
