Certainly, we all know that taxes influence the choices we make and that any change will have ripple effects. Still, it's dismaying sometimes to realize there are people who spend a lot of time thinking not just about what taxes to impose to raise a certain amount of money but also about using them to direct our lives in ways they think best:
Martin said the assumption that future gas prices will be around two to three dollars allows people to believe they can drive to their job from any distance. He said this leads to high numbers of families leaving areas of high population and moving to rural towns.
If the gas tax is repealed, that will mean the loss of millions of dollars to the state, which would then have to decide how much of the money to replace from other sources and/or how much to cut spending. Fine -- that's a straightforward debate we can all engage in. But don't tell me you want to keep the tax, and the price of gasoline high, because you don't want me moving to a small town and screwing up your grand plans.
