Tuesday 26 May 2015

Hung up on Carbon Taxes

Everyone seem to get hung up on carbon taxes, or an individual tax  on a specific problem, It seems to me that what needs to be done is to completely revolutionise the taxation system, the whole lot from bottom to top.

This means in my opinion to take the responsibility  of choice from governments and let individuals choose , by their behaviour of being a consumer.

Consumption is the problem, and it is the reduction of consumption especially the most damaging ones that has to be achieved, This surely can be done by taxing heavily those resources that damage the environment the most. We are so dependant on the scientific community to guide us through this maze of , " what is the damage caused by any one resource".  The answer to this question has been very variable over the years and has been the subject of many debates, and subject to blackmail from corporations also.

That being said , I believe we have only this option left to us . if we are to make good headway quickly enough as we have already seen , there is little change in pollutants  that effect climate change, and with the prognosis very stark , surely we have to grab the nettle and do more fundamental changes.

Taking the regressivity issue of carbon taxes, I agree it is a problem , that is why we have to tax all natural resources as near to source as possible, dependant of the damage they cause or potentially cause the environment, not just carbon dioxide directly but also to all the effects of all the micro flora and ecosystems at all levels of life. It is then that we will begin to make real headway into tackling the problem as a whole. Piecemeal choices of single specific taxes will solve nothing , as the consumer will readjust their habits to the new situation. and that is why it is so important to address the whole system to embody the whole of the planets planets resources and systems.

This is the BIG challenge we face , Are we up to it?

I believe we can make the change , and it has to eventually encompass the whole globe , not just the rich of today or tomorrow , but also the children of all our future generations

Apr 10, 2015


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