General Motors Co. CEO Dan Akerson wants the federal gas tax boosted as much as $1 a gallon to nudge consumers toward more fuel-efficient cars, and he’s confident the government will soon shed its remaining 26 percent stake in the once-bankrupt automaker.
“I actually think the government will be out this year — within the next 12 months, hopefully within the next six months,” Akerson said in a two-hour interview with The Detroit News last week.
He is grateful for the government’s rescue of GM — “I have nothing but good things to say about them” — but Akerson said the time for that relationship to end is coming because it’s wearing on GM.
“It’s kind of like your in-laws: It was a nice long weekend. We didn’t say a week,” Akerson said with a laugh.
And while he is eager to say goodbye to the government as a part owner of GM, Akerson would like to see it step up to the challenge of setting a higher gas tax, as part of a comprehensive energy policy.
After soaking taxpayers to a minimum tune of $14bn, the scumbag running GM now wants the government to pick taxpayer pockets even further with more gas taxes. As of this moment, I’m looking to sell my truck. I love it, but I cannot in good conscience own a GM vehicle any longer or ever again.
Congratulations, GM! You turned one of your most loyal customers into a person who absolutely despises you and would not only never buy another vehicle from you, but I will actively campaign against every single thing that rolls off your assembly lines.