U.S. Carbon Taxes Are Facing New Troubles On The Left

A growing number of climate advocates say increasing the price of fossil fuels is the surest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but leaders in the House and Senate are resisting calls for a carbon tax in Vermont.

The Democratic leaders in the House and Senate say they are skeptical of a carbon tax bill. And even if lawmakers introduce one this year, it’s hard to imagine it’ll make it very far. —Vermont Public Radio, 15 January 2019

Carbon taxes are facing new troubles on the left even as the idea is beginning to slowly inch from the political wilderness on the right. The posture of ascendant progressives is another reason why it’s unclear if carbon taxes will ever emerge as central federal climate policy. It’s a stark contrast from a decade ago when Democrats put a different pricing method — a cap-and-trade plan — at the center of the climate bill that passed the House but collapsed in the Senate. –Ben Geman, Axios, 15 January 2019

The carbon tax has a punishing effect on those who have no money left at the end of the month, which would include at least half of all Vermonters. It would be a symbol lifted up on the backs of the poorest among us, on working-class Vermonters living paycheck-to-paycheck, retirees living on fixed incomes—those who can’t use any less gasoline for their cars or fuel for their homes than they already are using. For the wealthy, a carbon tax would be an inconvenience.  For the rest of us, a carbon tax is a catastrophe. —Lawrence Zupan, Mountain Times, 16 January 2019

The latest move by the government to collect more revenue from people is the introduction of a carbon tax. Vehicle owners will have to pay a carbon tax based on the engine capacity and the year of manufacture of their vehicles from next year onwards. Older vehicles and those with bigger engines will be taxed more. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been exempted from the tax. According to the 2018 budget, the government expects to collect Rs.2.5 billion from the tax. —Editorial, Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka), 16 January 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday spelled out the questions underpinning his “great national debate”, a public consultation aiming to quell “yellow vest” anger after nearly two months of sometimes violent protests. Macron made his appeal in a “letter to the French” released on Sunday, following the ninth consecutive Saturday of nationwide “yellow vest” rallies which saw an uptick in turnout. —AFP, 14 January 2019

Transfixed as you were by Westminster chaos, did you also spot the news that Hitachi is about to cancel or suspend construction of the Wylfa nuclear power station in North Wales? The Japanese engineering giant has evidently failed to reach agreement on a guaranteed electricity price and terms for a UK government stake in the project; its decision follows that of its compatriot Toshiba, which in November pulled out of building a nuclear station at Moorside in Cumbria, largely because it disliked the Treasury’s favored financing model that loads risk on to the contractor. —Martin Vander Weyer, The Spectator, 17 January 2019

The West’ Green Suicide: China & India To Overtake U.S. And Europe By 2030: The United States of America could lose its position as the world’s biggest economy as soon as next year — and once that happens, it is unlikely to regain the top spot as developing Asian economies power ahead. According to research released this week by Standard Chartered Bank, China is likely to become the world’s biggest economy at some point in 2020, when measured by a combination of purchasing-power-parity exchange rates and nominal gross domestic product. —Business Insider, 10 January 2019