[Vision2020] carbon tax

[Donovan Arnold]

I think this idea of taxing fuel is going to be more destructive to businesses and the economy than helpful to the Australian environment. One group of people that will go extinct for sure is the Mom and Pop distribution businesses. Up to $6500 in assistance for new machines and "advice" from the government isn't going to help a small business that must use an abundance of fuel. 
 
Many of the families that cannot afford to upgrade and don't get enough assistance, or cannot wait for the assistance from the government, will also be greatly hindered. A $300-$500 tax credit isn't enough to keep up with the increases of needed goods and services, much less buy new appliances the government expects them to. 
 
I still think the best way to fight the carbon pollution is to force the engineering of more fuel efficient systems rather than sucking what little resources away they have left from those that must use them. 
 
In addition, the equipment western society is engineering and building today, will be the equipment used by developing countries in the future. These countries and continents with 100s of millions and even billions are the ones more greatly impacting world environmental conditions. Third world countries follow our technologies, not our social engineering. Depending on social engineering, which is what this tax is, to solve the Earth's environment issues, rather than creating only machines that will not destroy the planet, I think is foolhardy. Does it not make more sense to not to build the machines that will destroy the Earth in the first place than to build them and try to control human behavior not to abuse them?
 
Donovan J. Arnold

From: Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com>
To: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com> 
Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 4:10 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] carbon tax


A carbon tax with tax shifting or other compensation, or a fee and dividend system, would offer relief to consumers of low and middle incomes for the increases in the cost of goods and services.  In fact, some economic projections show low and middle income consumers coming out ahead financially, with a carbon tax and tax shifting or other compensation, or fee and dividend systems, to promote a quicker transition away from fossil fuels.  

This of course would depend on their economic choices.  If someone used a lot of coal fired electricity and drove a gas guzzler 100 miles a day to commute, they would see a large increase in the cost of coal and oil energy associated with their lifestyle.  But for those who make choices to avoid intensive fossil fuel associated economic decisions, the reduction in their taxes or other compensation or the dividend payments they would receive, could offer the chance to economically benefit from the tax or fee on carbon.

Incredible that in this thread, Australia's plan, just now being implemented, though in the works for a long time, to tax carbon and compensate families for the increases in costs, was not mentioned once... 

Below are sources of information on carbon tax and tax shifting or other compensation, and fee and dividend systems.  Cleanenergyfuture.gov.au source below claims compensation of 120 percent of the expected increases in costs from the carbon tax:

Lowering Income Taxes While Raising Pollution Taxes Reaps Great Returns 
Lester R. Brown
http://www.earth-policy.org/book_bytes/2010/pb4ch10_ss2
-------------------------------
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Lester R. Brown
Chapter 13. The Great Mobilization: Shifting Taxes and Subsidies
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/pb3/PB3ch13_ss2
------------------------------
Info on Australia's "Clean Energy Future" plan with a carbon tax:
http://www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au/helping-households/who-will-get-assistance/
Over 4 million households get assistance worth 120 per cent of their expected average price impact
-----------------------------
Info below on a fee and dividend system presented to the US Congress:
Carbon Tax and 100% Dividend vs. Tax and Trade
Testimony of James E. Hansen
Committee on Ways and Means
US House of Representatives
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2009/WaysAndMeans_20090225.pdf

"...Tax and 100% Dividend--tax carbon emissions, but give all of the money back to the public..."

NASA climate scientist James Hansen, quoted above, has opposed the cap and trade system that the Obama administration was trying to pass the US Congress, that failed:
Cap and Fade
By JAMES HANSEN
Published: December 6, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07hansen.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/opinion/07hansen.html
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