Now a lot of big corporations are starting to support a gas tax.

One reason is that it would be good for business to have stability in energy prices, so that future costs can be better planned for. If we put a high tax on fuel or carbon now (when prices are low), the tax could be lowered later when energy prices go up. The way to effect this would probably be to make the tax contingent on a market benchmark, such as the price of crude oil. When crude prices go up, the tax would automatically go down (and vice-versa).

We should attempt to hit an energy price that would be high enough to push development of alternative sources, without damaging the economy. An effective price of more than $70 per barrel for oil and equivalents would probably accomplish this.

I don't think we're going to get anywhere with the old-fashioned tax policies that amount to the kneejerk raising and lowering of taxes for mainly political reasons. We need innovations in tax policy in order to meet long-range as well as short-term societal goals. For once we need to use our brains to get out of a crisis before it becomes a catastrophe.