Carbon tax concerns
A Washington Post editorial today calls for a carbon tax – and provides more evidence for why we need Citizen Dividends, a guaranteed basic income for every American.
Here are the opening words from each of the three paragraphs:
“The Environmental Protection Agency has told the White House that global warming is endangering public health and welfare.”
“Such a market-based solution could be accomplished either through a tax …”
“Yes, we know. A carbon tax is politically unpalatable for some. But it has advantages over a complex trading system and should be considered.”
To elaborate slightly: The EPA finding requires action under the Clean Air Act, but any regulatory approach would create “a glorious mess.” It’s better to rely on markets, higher prices, and a carbon tax would be less complicated and faster to implement than the cap-and-trade system favored by the Obama administration. There are political obstacles to enacting any such tax.
If there were a fourth paragraph, it might resolve the dilemma with something like this:
There is a way to win popular support for a carbon tax, and that is to return some of the money directly to the people. We can give every adult citizen a few hundred dollars a month, maybe more. Individuals and businesses will have the means and incentives to conserve, and each of us will be free to choose our preferred ways to conserve, smaller cars, working at home, insulating our homes, and so on. Returning the money through Citizen Dividends, or universal fuel rebates, will accomplish several important goals at the same time: attracting popular support for the carbon tax we need to reduce global warming; protecting and even increasing individual freedom; and enhancing social, economic, and environmental justice. We urge the Obama administration to enact this plan.
Steven Shafarman
Tags: Barack Obama, environment, gas taxes, Washington Post