A well-designed tax on oil would also reduce demand, thereby lowering the potential for windfall profits for those who rule or own the ground over the oil deposits. A little more than a decade ago, Lloyd Bentsen, President Bill Clinton's first Treasury Secretary, tried to ensure precisely that, proposing to use a "BTU tax" to close America's fiscal deficit.
设计合理的燃油税还可以降低需求，从而减少油田土地的所有者敛取不义之财。10多年前，克林顿总统的首任财长劳埃德·本特森曾试图达到这个目标，提议设立"BTU税收"来解决美国的财政赤字。