Trump’s diesel tax gambit: Relief at the pump, politics at the polls

From the report

President Donald Trump has moved to confront one of the most politically explosive economic problems facing American farmers, truckers and consumers: painfully high diesel prices.

On October 5, Trump signed a new executive order designed to provide immediate relief by temporarily allowing tax-free dyed diesel – normally reserved for off-road equipment such as tractors, combines and other agricultural machinery – to be used by trucks and other vehicles on public highways. The measure took effect October 5 and remains in place through December 31.

The basic idea is remarkably simple: let people who desperately need diesel buy the same fuel they already use for agricultural and off-road operations, without immediately imposing the federal highway tax.