Identify all important costs and benefits

Identify all important costs and benefits. Consider the U.S. federal gasoline tax, which is the lowest among the world's industrialized nations. Those who support raising it contend that doing so would yield many tangible benefits, among them lowering the country's dependence on imported oil. It would reduce urban air pollution and improve public health; reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and thus lower the risk of climate change; cut back on traffic congestion and drive time; and lessen traffic accidents, thereby saving lives and preventing injuries. Raising the gas tax, however, imposes direct costs on drivers and on a variety of services that depend on transportation.


Book Public Policy Kraft, Michael E. Chapter 6