Carbon Tax Offers a Practical Way to Limit Pollution from Fossil Fuels

07/22/2007 by Charles Komanoff

Carbon Tax Offers a Practical Way to Limit Pollution from Fossil Fuels
(Southwest Florida Herald Tribune, by Thomas Tryon)

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2 Comments »

  1. If everyone thinks global climate change is a real threat to their way of life then they are well aware of the choices that they need to make, i.e. spending more on solar panels for their home. In a true free market, alternatives derived from renewable energy will be demanded by the public regardless of implementation of a carbon tax because the people who are overly concerned will be empowered by their decisions to reduce carbon emissions, and they will motivate others to do the same through their actions. The technology exists today for many clean, efficient energy solutions, and they don’t need a tax to stay afloat in an oil saturated market they just need some PR and marketing to a wider audience. Any tax destroys the people’s right to choose and prevents them from taking an active role in protecting their valuable natural resources and conserving their environment. The only way this world will be cleaned up and protected for future generations is for everyone who lives in it to take responsibility and take an active role to making the shift. Taxes will change nothing because they multiply a philosophy of apathy. "Why should I do something? That’s why I pay a carbon tax." The whole idea of a carbon tax implies a need for government, and I personally see no need for an already overbearing, intrusive government to increase the amount of money they steal from my pay check. I’m sorry, but how can a government secure the current climate of this planet when they can’t even secure 2000 miles of the US-Mexico border.
     

    Comment by Joe — July 24, 2007 @ 5:17 am

  2. Joe,

    A couple of thoughts:

    The carbon tax proposals presented on this web site tend to be revenue neutral. Whatever money the government collected would be redistributed on something approaching an equal per capita basis. Thus the government would not be stealing from your paycheck unless you happened to be a big carbon emitter. If you can keep your carbon emissions low, you could come out ahead financially.

    I share your inclination for a free market solution and I wonder if the word “tax” has gotten you a bit off course. In a free market I cannot chop down trees on your property to build my house without first getting your OK (and, likely, paying you something). Nor can I dump the trash left over onto your property without, again, your permission. A carbon tax simply recognizes that emitting carbon into the atmosphere is the same as chopping down someone else’s trees or dumping trash on someone else’s front yard. If you want to do it, pay for it.

    Cheers,
    Bob

    Comment by Bob Arning — July 24, 2007 @ 7:01 am

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