McCain Proposes a Gas Tax Holiday

This is a good idea:

PITTSBURGH — John McCain wants the federal government to free people from paying gasoline taxes this summer and ensure that college students can secure loans this fall, a pair of proposals aimed at stemming pain from the country’s troubled economy. At the same time, the certain Republican presidential nominee says Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton would impose the single largest tax increase since World War II by allowing tax cuts pushed to passage by President Bush to expire.

“Both promise big ‘change.’ And a trillion dollars in new taxes over the next decade would certainly fit that description,” McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday. “All these tax increases are the fine print under the slogan of ‘hope:’ They’re going to raise your taxes by thousands of dollars per year — and they have the audacity to hope you don’t mind.”

That was a play on the title of an Obama book.
McCain twice voted against the very tax cuts he now supports; he says failing to extend them would amount to tax increases for millions of people.

All of those politicians who step in front of the cameras and complain about gas prices could instantly reduce prices by about 18 cents a gallon if they'd just suspend the gas tax. Take out the State taxes and you could probably knock another 25 cents a gallon off the price (at least in California). If they really care about consumers as they say they do, this would be a good move.

The other issue in this piece is McCain's criticism of Obama's tax proposals. It's going to be difficult for McCain to make people believe he's serious about it after he twice voted against the Bush tax cuts. His inconsistency on tax cuts fuel concerns among conservatives that he's not really committed to the tax cutting cause.