If you're inclined to contact the Senator as well (and I think you should) you can get his contact information here (phone, mail and email).
January 12th, 2006
Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
RE: Windfall Profits Tax
Dear Senator Dorgan:
I have observed, with startled amazement, your sponsorship and support of a “windfall profits” tax on oil companies (specifically S1631). Such a tax would be folly and would not come near to solving the problems it is intended to.
As with any tax, your “windfall profits” tax would only cause the price of petroleum to go up. That means higher prices at the pump for myself and my fellow citizens of North Dakota. Businesses, and oil companies are businesses, have to maintain a profit margin in order to remain in business. When a business meets a new expense (such as your tax) that expense typically does not come out of the business's profit margin, especially when the expense is something every competitor with that business will have to face as well (as is the case with your tax) Instead, the business will simply raise prices (as all of its competitors will do) to keep profit margins the same. Unfortunately, Americans will have to pay those higher prices.
There is also the question of allowing oil companies to keep their earned profits in order to pay for future oil exploration and development of technology. I am sure I don't need to tell you that the petroleum business is a very competitive market. In order to stay in the game oil companies must constantly explore for new resources and develop technology to get the gasoline from the oil fields to our gas stations as inexpensively as possible. Your windfall profits tax would diminish their ability to do that and could have untold amounts of negative ramifications for the future, including higher prices and lower fuel efficiency.
Finally, I wonder how much we can trust Congress to redistribute the proceeds brought in by this “windfall profits” tax to Americans (as you have said would be done). I look to the Social Security Trust Fund, which has long been a source of funds for politicians seeking to fund other projects, and I wonder if the proceeds coming in from this new tax wouldn't suffer the same fate. I think it is likely, and if that did happen what would your new tax on oil companies amount to other than a new tax on American citizens? A new tax we just can't afford to pay.
Senator, as your constituent I strongly disagree with your support of a windfall profits tax or any other sort of similar tax. If you are truly interested in lowering the price of fuel I suggest you look to the federal tax on gasoline. A cut there would lower gas prices across the country immediately and would have positive economic ramifications as well since travel and shipping would be cheaper.
If you have any questions of me on this issue I encourage you to contact me as I would love to discuss it for you.
Respectfully,
Rob Port
http://sayanythingblog.com