In the drive to discover new fuels and cheaper alternatives to driving the fact of the matter is that roads will still have to be maintained, and if the consumer is purchasing less fuel by driving fuel efficient cars, then other taxes will have to be raised or implemented to pay for the roads.
A recent study concluded that "more efficient cars and trucks still take up space on the highways and wear them out. Growth will require more highway capacity. Since we finance transportation primarily through dedicated taxes, these need to be ample enough to support these needs" (Petersen, 2007, p. 66). The taxes seen in America are not as high as the ones imposed on the European consumer.
One study showed that "European fuel costs are double those in the U.S. " (Winter, 2007, p. 5). The higher fuel costs there provides the European consumer with incentives not necessarily found in the U.S. The same study concluded that "consumers used to paying $6-$7 per gallon are extremely motivated to buy smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles" (Winter, p. 5). Consumer behavior is thereby often influenced by taxes and price controls on various products including the everyday use of gasoline and fuel. Governments benefit from the taxes levied, roads are built and maintained by the taxes,...
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