Gas-guzzler
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The term gas-guzzler, part of our vernacular to mean a car with burns copious and excessive amounts of fuel, came into formal legal usage in the U.S. when Congress established Gas Guzzler Tax provisions in the Energy Tax Act of 1978 to discourage the production and purchase of fuel-inefficient vehicles. Fuel efficiency standards were in part driven by the oil embargo of 1973.[1] The gas guzzler tax had applied only to cars (not trucks) and was collected by the IRS.[2]
Public policy to encourage fuel efficiency was no match in deterring demand for "Gas-guzzling" luxury cars that offered the utility of providing comfort or affirming status.[3] The public was "highly skeptical" of government regulations regarding vehicle mileage standards and requirements.[4] The reality of gas lines, oil embargos, price controls under President Richard Nixon[5], gas rationing by Odd–even rationing licence plate numbers, nationwide 55mph highway speed limits were and are at odds with American Car culture and expectation.
The subject of Gas-guzzlers was the privy of contentious congressional debates and presidential initiatives throughout the Carter Administration. Addressing the issue of "gas-guzzlers" ranged from proposals for the outright banning of fuel inefficient cars to the imposition of taxes at the pump and at time of sale.[6]
In 2015, as a matter of long term public education and policy, the Obama administration urged consumers to avoid purchasing "Gas guzzlers" [7] The issues that drove a 1970's imperative periodically resurface in time to supply chain interruptions.[8]
References
- ^ "Fuel Efficiency Standards Live On After 1973 Oil Embargo". NPR.org. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ "Gas Guzzler Tax". Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
- ^ Kneale, Dennis (August 15, 1979). "Gas Guzzlers Still Popular". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Putting Gas Guzzlers in Their Place". The New York Times. May 23, 1979. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ https://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "How gas price controls sparked '70s shortages". The Washington Times. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ Lyons, Richard L. (August 2, 1977). "Senate Unit Votes Outright '80 Ban On Gas Guzzlers".
- ^ "Obama tells Americans: Don't buy a gas guzzler". Reuters. January 8, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Myre, Greg (November 10, 2012). "Gas Lines Evoke Memories Of Oil Crises In The 1970s". NPR. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
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