The EPA put out the fuel economy ratings for the 2007 model year vehicles, and there are still plenty of gas hogs being sold, but not all of them are subject to the gas guzzler tax.
Among the fuel-efficiency Hall of Shame for this year are the expected high performance sports and luxury models from Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley Azure, and Ferrari. If you're paying 100K plus for a car, you don't really care if you spend $50 or $250 a week on gas.
These cars are identified on the fuel economy guide with a "Tax" label. But I noticed that none of the avaricious SUVs had the designation, and I discovered that Congress in its infinite wisdom doesn't levy the tax on light trucks, Minivans and SUVs. Therefore, folks who buy a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD (rated at 12/15 mpg) don't have to pay the guzzler tax, while those who buy Mercedes AMG Wagon (14/20) must. And we wonder why so many SUVs have been sold during the past few years? Is this an equitable situation? Congress should develop a tax for the gas guzzling SUV category as well.
The gas guzzler tax was established in 1978, and the formula used to calculate the tax has never been updated. So only cars that get gas mileage that was viewed as crappy nearly 30 years ago are penalized. If we are to have this tax, it should be updated at least every quarter century.
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