Episode 22: The Gas Tax Holiday Trap + How Singapore & Fargo Price Transportation

Gas Tax Holiday - David & Wes take on gas tax holidays and why cutting a few cents from the price of gas is usually better politics than transportation policy. The federal gas tax has been stuck at 18.4 cents per gallon since 1993, and suspending it would barely make a dent in a fill-up while weakening a transportation funding system that is already running on fumes. They talk through who actually benefits, whether the savings ever reach drivers, and why a real price-stabilization policy would have to move both ways, cutting the tax when prices spike and raising it when prices fall.

Other topics: 🔹 Singapore’s congestion pricing history & some transportation details that caught David’s eye 🔹 Fargo’s downtown parking rules can make “free” parking annoying (at least according to Wes) 🔹 David’s shirt!

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Additional resources: How did Singapore restrict cars on its island? | With Paul Barter (Urban Mobility Explained) 

Trump Proposes Suspending Federal Gas Tax Until Prices Fall (The New York Times) 

Labor cuts fuel excise for three months, saving Australians 26c a litre on petrol and diesel (The Guardian) 

Governor says Indiana may have ‘flexibility’ to extend gas tax suspension again (Indiana Capital Chronicle) 

Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)

Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com, www.davidzipper.com, and www.wesmarshall.org