In line with the general tone of the comments above, here’s a quote from the ATA (American Truckers Assoc.) about this proposal:

“ATA appreciates the effort and supports the proposals. But we do have concerns that any fuel tax suspension proposal could damage the already ailing Highway Trust Fund. To the extent that McCain and Snowe’s proposals use general revenue funds to offset the hit to the trust fund, that concern is addressed. ATA did not ask for this legislation. And we believe it is only a very short term answer that does not do anything to address the longer term issue of rising fuel prices. ATA recognizes that rising fuel costs have a disproportionate impact on small trucking companies where even a small savings can be the difference in their staying in business.”

This position is the most favorable, by far, and is still tepid at best. Find this quote and more from this article.

Alternatively, if the inefficient 30% of truckers fold, then the demand/supply ratio for transport will increase, and the remaining efficient truckers will be able to charge higher prices.

Suspending taxes is odd, as trucks do most of the damage to the highways.

A more humane solution, however, would be to invest some of that highway money into high efficiency commercial vehicle development. A hybrid delivery truck with regenerative breaking would save everybody lots of pollution/ carbon/ money etc.

For people who drive a lot, that might be significant; for most people, a drop from $3.62/gal to $3.44/gal – well, the price will still seem high, and if you own a pickup truck with a 30-gallon tank, you still won’t be able to fill it up without crossing the $75.00 limit that so many gas stations here have. (I’m using local Nevada prices and limits).

As for the details of who is proposing what and who is doing what and what has actually been done – I, too, often have a hard time keeping up on that.

Personally, I don’t think this tax-suspension plan will do much … it seems to be more of a way for a politician to say “see, I don’t like taxes, vote for me”. But, perhaps those who actually deal with these kinds of complex economic scenarios have a different opinion.

Stop burning oil and coal. That helps with the terrorist problem, the global warming problem, the air quality problems, and will save us money in the long run. We need to be using electric, hydrogen, and natural gas cars. We need to live in more efficient buildings, conserve and recycle, and start to slow our population growth. We need leaders who are willing to say the right thing, no matter how much that may hurt their election chances. We also need the public to learn science so that they understand these issues.

As for highway/fuel taxes being lowered – well, that seems a little strange to me.