Congress discusses higher oil tax for Gulf spill cleanup costs

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Will Congress pass a higher tax that could wind up tapping your wallet to pay for the massive Gulf oil spill cleanup ?


A measure is being discussed that would quadruple an 8-cents per barrel oil tax t0 32 cents.

President Obama wants BP to pay the cleanup costs. The company estimates those so far at $350 million and gushing higher every day.

Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano says, "We'll do everything we need to do to get BP to stop this slick, to clean this ocean and to pay these claims."

The federal government has $1.5 billion in a cleanup emergency fund. But only $1 billion can be used per incident. The bill being considered would raise that limit to $5 billion.


Read more: http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136751&catid=130

[liberal N proud]

1. We all knew we would be paying for this

It never cost the corporations for their fuckups.

[saigon68]

2. Free passes and Champagne all around

For these Thugs and Hoodlums

[denverbill]

14. Privatize the profits, socialize the risks. Good old Corporatism. It beats capitalism! n/t

[DrDan]

3. well - what do you think - that BP should cover the costs????

let's get real here.

[luckyleftyme2]

4. like hell

it's bp's resonsibility to eat the cost-no bail out for them!
period -end of discussion!

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Why?

We'll just end up paying for it as they shift the expense to consumers. It's what they do.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Higher gas tax for carbon offset - No Problem! But NO WAY a gas tax for BP's

carelessness while they rake in Billions of profit for execs and shareholders! Cost of clean up for willful safety violations (greed for speed) -that lead to catastrophes- should be BP's to bear NOT everyone who buys any other companies' gas!

Stupid Congress.

[Phlem]

7. Hmmm

and I remember Mr. Presisdent saying BP was going to cover all cost and resources for this cleanup. OR, was he just being the lying liar that he's always been.

F@ck

-p

[FBI_Un_Sub]

8. OIL WAR SURTAX

I am a fan of Michael Klare --- and I would impose a tax to cover ALL of the costs of our Iraqi and Afghan oil war -- operations and maintenance, pay and allowances, extended future veterans' benefits (this is the hidden biggie).

Make no mistake -- these are "Oil Wars"

[Oldtimeralso]

9. The assets of BP should be frozen to cover the cost of the clean up!

It was BP and the companies under contract to them that needs to pay!

THe USA has frozen assets of foreign governments before and it has been upheld as legal, why not from a foreign company.

If BP wants the point fingers at their contractors let them recover from the contractors. I am sure that if the contractors were negligent any court in the US will decide for BP.

Why is there a cap on liability especially when it is minuscule compared to the assets of BP? If the USSC thinks corporations are people why is there not a like wise cap on liability for any other person that is proportional?

THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT BE MADE TO PAY FOR THE NEGLIGENCE OF ANY FOREIGN CORPORATION INVOLVED IN THIS CALAMITY!

LET BRITISH PETROLEUM, TRANSOCEAN,OR HALLIBURTON (all foreign tax-dodging corporations) PAY!

[florida08]

10. if they do that

I'll join the teabaggers myself

[FBI_Un_Sub]

11. Then you should have no issue

with an immediate draw down from Iraq and Afghanistan ?

[florida08]

12. Point taken

they never mention that do they. My post was a cynical one.

[FBI_Un_Sub]

13. I come with the classist bias

That the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were Cheney wars (see Cheney's Energy Plan of 2003) to assert hegemony over oil. I never trusted either "Big Oil" or Cheney -- and Cheney's so-called "Renewable Energy" schemes all had one defect -- based on flawed or political thermodynamics that necessitated a perpetual motion machine that violated all of the Laws of Thermodynamics.