A gas tax of one cent per gallon would raise one billion dollars per year at current consumption rates  Since a tax of fifty cents per gallon would ttherefore raise fifty billion dollars per year, it seems a perfect way to deal with the federal budget deficit
This tax would have the additional advantage that the resulting drop in the demand for gasoline would be ecologically sound and would keep our country from being too dependent on foreign oil producers
The author mistakes an effect for a cause.