Gasoline Tax Puts Prices In Overdrive  October 02, 1993|by
AMINAH FRANKLIN, The Morning Call  The clock struck midnight and
prices at the Mobil service station in Bethlehem began to climb.
By yesterday morning, regular unleaded gasoline had risen 4
cents a gallon; special unleaded and super unleaded, 5 cents a
gallon.  Manager Dale Barrall was hurting.  On Thursday, the day
before a 4.3-cents-per-gallon federal gasoline tax hike went
into effect, Barrall signed an invoice for delivery of 9,105
gallons of gasoline at the cost of $9,900.  Of that, $1,354 was
tax.  With the increase, which is part of President Clinton's
deficit reduction package, the amount of taxes paid per load
will increase by at least $400, he said.  Barrall said he's not
the only one in pain. In a price check he conducted yesterday
morning, every gas station within a seven-mile radius of his
station at Macada Road and Route 191 had raised prices 3 to 4
cents a gallon.  He said most stations tacked on the entire
amount instead of raising pr