The 2008 taxpayer bailout of General Motors saved them from extinction. Their CEO thinks that the best way to pay back the public is to raise the gas tax, for their own good of course.
According to an interview in the Detroit News, GM CEO Dan Akerson wants the federal gas tax increased as much as $1 a gallon to nudge consumers toward more fuel-efficient cars. He said that this would do more good for the environment than forcing automakers to comply with higher gas-mileage standards.
“You know what I’d rather have them do — this will make my Republican friends puke — as gas is going to go down here now, we ought to just slap a 50-cent or a dollar tax on a gallon of gas,” Akerson said.
“People will start buying more Cruzes and they will start buying less Suburbans.”
This must be the kind of arrogance that comes with being the CEO of a company that had to rely on the private property of taxpayers to stay in business.
Instead of having to comply with higher gas-mileage standards, Akerson would rather have the government push people towards more environmentally friendly cars by taxing fuel more. He seems to think that we will all be better off this way.
The environment would be saved because people might not have any other choice than to buy more eco-friendly GM automobiles just to maintain their standard of living. That would be just fine for GM.
I don’t know about you, but this arrogance doesn’t sit well with me.
Some people still view the bailout of GM as something that had to happen. It was in everybody’s best interest we were told. In my opinion the bailouts were a blunder.
GM didn’t learn anything from their mistakes and Akerson just doesn’t get it.
His company would not still be in business if it weren’t for the bailout. And now that GM is recovering and turning a profit, they are back to their same arrogant selves. Does Akerson even think before he speaks? Even if that’s what he really believes he probably should keep that talk for his little meetings that happen behind closed doors with government officials.
A lot of people can’t afford to buy a new eco-friendly car, but Akerson doesn’t care. He just wants what’s best for his company, even if that means screwing over the very people who propped up his failing company.
Akerson’s perspective is pretty common for those are at the top of the government approved economic food chain. These kind of people are so out of touch with reality that they view bailouts and government interventionism as a natural part of the free market.
Fuel-efficient and electric cars should definitely be a part of the future, but we need to let that transition happen naturally. What Akerson wants is more intervention from the government on GM’s behalf.
To the observer it would appear that Akerson’s gas tax idea is just a way to get the government to help GM sell fuel-efficient and electric cars that aren’t selling as well as they’d like them to.
I’m from Michigan, and I want to like GM, but we aren’t any better off because of their bailout. GM’s leadership is back to their old ways, so don’t be surprised if they need another bailout in 10 years because their expensive eco-friendly cars aren’t selling.
