Originally Posted by
N2264J
Taxes have been used with great success in the past to modify behavior. Gore's idea was to replace the income tax all together with a carbon tax.
Wouldn't a carbon tax just percolate down to the consumer as another sales tax, thus eliminating the progressive nature of federal taxation? The rich can afford to "go green" more easily than the middle class. And suppose the "behavioral modification" worked --- the feds would starve themselves of revenue.
A fairly distributed tax on everyone's carbon footprint - individuals and business alike.
Aye, there's the rub. Lobbyists and lawyers would have a field day arguing the proper allocation of "carbon penalty points" for each good and service on the market. Exemptions and exceptions would be handed out to those with the right connections and political clout.