Internal Revenue Service United States Department of the Treasury
Theme 5: Impact of TaxesLesson 1: How Taxes Influence Behavior

 

Activity 2: The Gasoline Tax
Cost of Regular Gasoline (August 2014)
State Real Cost of Gasoline State Excise Tax Sales Tax or Other Tax Federal Excise Tax
California $3.88/gallon 36 cents/gallon 13.8 cents/gallon (environmental fee) 18.4 cents/gallon
Florida $3.28/gallon 4 cents/gallon 32.0 cents/gallon 18.4 cents/gallon
Ohio $3.42/gallon 28 cents/gallon 0 cents/gallon (sales tax) 18.4 cents/gallon
Texas $3.26/gallon 20 cents/gallon 0 cents/gallon (sales tax) 18.4 cents/gallon

The price you pay for a gallon of gas includes state and federal taxes, sales tax, as well as environmental fees and other fees. In this activity, you will calculate how much money you need to spend on gas for one job in each of these four states: California, Florida, Ohio, and Texas.

Imagine that you run a lawn-mowing service. You need at least five gallons of gas for each job you do. In this activity, you will calculate how much money you need to spend on gas for one job in each of these four states: California, Florida, Ohio, and Texas.

The table above shows the cost of gasoline in each of the four states plus any taxes and fees. Because the cost of gasoline changes daily, assume that the price listed is the "real" cost of gasoline.

Calculate how much money you would need for five gallons of gas in each state. Use the drop-down menus to match each dollar amount to the correct state. To assess your answers, click the Check My Answers button at the bottom of the page.

 

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