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Old 04-30-2008, 08:57 PM   #7 (permalink)
hiredgun
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MSD is correct. The real net savings to the consumer isn't $30 or whatever, it will be about zero. Supply is inelastic, and so prices will have to rise to accommodate demand. I don't know of any credible economist who would dispute this.

And the Clinton plan to tax oil companies is a misdirection. Whether you nominally tax the consumer side or the producer means almost nothing. The real tax incidence - i.e. where the tax ends up hurting - is determined by the underlying fundamentals of the market in question.

The saddest thing is that I'm sure the candidates are well aware of this.
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