Al Gore urged a carbon tax today. The Senate rejected his plea.
Lawmakers voted 41-58 to reject Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) proposal to ensure that revenue from any carbon tax be returned to the U.S. public through deficit reduction, reducing other rates and other “direct” benefits.
Consumption taxes have a place in the economy and in fiscal responsibility. That would include low tariffs, excise taxes, and even highway and fuel taxes. All taxes should be kept low for philosophical and for economic reasons.
That said, any tax with “carbon” in the name is a falsehood or foolishness because the carbon justification is mistaken. As ILM notes, the CO2 offset market is shady to the point of absolute fraud and always has been. Possiby a few traders are just fools, but anyone knowledgable of business and economics, and who takes part in a false market of a meaningless commodity, should be publicly shamed. Al Gore first.
I can’t believe some common sense ruled in the US Senate!
“The CO2 offset marketplace is pretty shady.” Good call, sir.