Bakari Sellers Puts In His 1.6 Cents ...

Sorry, But We Couldn't Find a Penny That Was Chopped In Half....

One thing about polticians that makes us laugh is their penchant for trying to change things that they have little to no control over.  Case in Point: SC Representative Bakari Sellers (D-Bamberg) has proposed a 10% tax on the state's gasoline tax.  On the surface, you're thinking 'Hey, that sounds pretty cool and significant.'   When you put it that way, yeah it does.  The again, it's like me saying that I will totally quit smoking cold turkey forever - then you find out that I've never smoked...

While not that extreme, Sellers proposal is not that far off.  Why? Because SC's gas tax is on 16 cents a gallon, the 4th lowest in the US.  For consumers, that means the cut is a miniscule 1.6 cents per gallon.  Sellers states that the lower prices at the pump will attract North Carolinians across the border to get their gas.  It gives you an idea of how clueless either Sellers could be - or just how gullible he thinks you are.  Numbers don't lie, so let's do the math....

Got your calculator ready? Here we go... 1.6 cents is about 1/20 of the total price of gas, so assuming that you have a pretty fuel efficient car at 30 mpg, you would have to drive 1.5 miles ROUND TRIP or less for the tax cut to be worth the trip... That means if you live in Charlotte, you need to find a station before you even get past Carowinds.... Not exactly worth it, is it? 

Secondly, SC's gas tax is already much lower than both North Carolina and Georgia, so there will be no additional gain than we already have.  We're not talking about crossing the border to play Powerball and winning $160 million.... But we would be cutting funding for road improvements.  

Sellers has an odd supporter in our buddy, Will Folks at FITS News.  Hey, we don't disagree that lower taxes are better, but South Carolinians are far from overtaxed.  If you want to see overtaxed, come on up here for a little while, where gas is $3.60 a gallon for regular, cigarettes are $10 a pack, and property taxes are $10,000 per year and up...... WAAAAY up.  We support South Carolina never becoming New York, but we do need to pay for some things, and infrastructure is one of them.

Lastly, we have one final critique.  We live in the real world, and a 1.6 cent tax cut would NEVER show up to consumers at the pump.  You have the oil companies, refiners and retailers all taking their cut along the way.  If you ever think you'd see that savings at the pump, think again. 

Yes, Sellers' idea on the surface seems nice, but there are other, more necessary places to cut.  Politically, it makes good press, but the kid got it wrong.  The only real change we'll see is the SCDOT having it's funding cut.  Maybe not a totally bad idea on the surface, but if there is extra money later, cut the budget then.  No one's life will change over this plan.  As Shakespeare said, it is Much Ado About Nothing... but we're not sure if Sellers ever read Shakespeare....

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