The Green Tax Shift

Since the beginning of the Human Race, gathering a sufficient amount of food has always proved to be a challenge. The Green Revolution attempted to solve this problem by creating and applying new techniques and technologies. The Green Revolution was created out of necessity and caused social changes, discontent with some of the effects, and the overall quality of living to be improved but the improvement of living quality had the greatest effect because this led to higher overall populations which in turn created the need to feed an even greater population.

Stewart Elgie, a University of Ottawa law and economics professor and chair of the green economy think-tank Sustainable Prosperity suggests that British Columbia’s per-capita fuel usage had fallen more than 4 per cent compared with the rest of Canada and its economy (Ebner, McCarthy, 2011) Evidently it is reducing the amount of green house gasses emitted by fossil fuel use. However this is not the concern many had with the introduction of the tax, but the concerns were focused upon the externalities caused by this and the effects it would have on the economy. Three years since the carbon tax introduction and the Provincial level of GDP has remained approximately the same, (Greenery in Canada: We have a winner) With the provincial level of GDP remaining around the same, this suggests that at the very worst the carbon tax has had no negative effects to the provincial economy. Furthermore the tax also promised to remain carbon neutral and promised to cut corporate and private income tax. British Columbia has become the province with the lowest income tax regime and the lowest corporate tax regime (Greenery in Canada: We have a winner). Although the carbon tax is being praised by many, it still faces concerns as many still argue the ineffectiveness of the tax and what that means for the province.

For the last two decades, the increased use of fossil energy caused the environmental problems. The evidence of global warming, like drying rivers, extinction of species, melting of glaciers, became more often around the planet. The climate change became a threat to healthy environment and prosperity of humanity and wildlife, and the world community started searching for solution to combat climate change. In 2008 British Columbia introduced carbon tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reduce global warming. Starting from $10 per tonne of CO2, the price was increasing annually till it reached $30 per tonne in 2012. During that period British Columbia was reducing harmful emissions and improving economy comparing to the rest of Canada. However, since the price rise on carbon stopped in 2012, no improving changes in cutting emissions, economy, and overall quality of life have been noticed. In this essay I will persuade that British Columbia should continue gradually increase price on carbon tax to the level where it will significantly cut the use of dirty energy, provide enough investments into the green projects, and support low-income families.

Topic Revenue neutrality Controlling the economy Encouraging industries Research and development expenditures Social considerations Earned income credit Charitable contributions Fines and penalties Home ownership Higher education incentives Tax credit versus deduction Alleviating the effect of multiple taxation Double taxation and effect of a credit versus a deduction Wherewithal to pay concept: transfer to

In the beginning, the writers present the process of the research conducted by the MIT researchers and conclusions that showed how even a low carbon tax would be effective at lowering carbon emissions. The writers continue the article by pointing out the effects of different policies, relating to the revenue created from a carbon tax, on corporations and lower income households. Finally, the writers draw attention to the fact that this carbon tax will greatly influence the effects of global warming. This article was written for Americans and is a solution that is perfect for the political spectrum of any government institution within the United States. The article addresses ways that a carbon tax can be used to please both liberals and conservatives. Though the writers did not conduct their own research, they did cite a study conducted by university researchers and a government organization and use interviews with key researchers in the study. Though this article cites only one research study, the idea of a carbon tax is still a viable solution and it will be used in my research to show that there is a viable solution to the problem of air

Almost all people rely on gas, green or not green. Due to this, a tax would affect almost everyone. With raising taxes, people will consume less overall. This will lead all people to either drive less, or to buy a more efficient car. As mentioned previously, a higher mpg does not mean less gas consumption because may be inclined to drive more. If gas cost more, this would guarantee that the quantity demanded of gas would move leftward up the demand curve, therefore less gas would be consumed. Also, with this tax, the government would be left with some funds that could be used to reduce emissions as well. One example could be to invest the tax funds into a green-friendly public transport system. This would in theory reduce the amount of people using cars and reduce the overall amount of

HB355, the central piece of Ivey’s proposal, seeks to overhaul the State’s tax code. Set to establish a flat rate for both individual and corporate income taxes, HB355 would also eliminate many tax breaks while expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (from 5 to 7 percent) and changing the Standard Deduction. Other changes triggered by the favorable passage of HB355 include the removal of the per child deduction and a provision to reduce the horizontal well drilling tax credit from 100 percent over two years to 50 percent over five. Due to the numerous changes proposed by Ivey’s “comprehensive reform” bill, Legislative Fiscal Staff are still unable to attach an exact fiscal number to the proposal.

Revenue generated through tax receipts ideally should exceed annual costs on various government operations. Moreover, the economic considerations involving amendment of Internal Revenue Codes for various depreciation deductions for purchase of business property and research/development deductions credits1. The second consideration, referred to, as social consideration give tax benefits to the employers encouraging health insurance and deduction for charitable contributions by employees as well as private companies. The equity considerations enable individuals or corporations to avoid the effect of double taxation on their taxable income. This could be necessarily ensured by deducting state and local taxes from Gross Income. The credit or deduction for certain foreign taxes and deductions for dividend received by corporations to avoid triple taxation. The

Although there isn’t a lot of cases of countries with carbon taxes yet, one success story comes from Ireland. According to the Carbon Tax Center, Ireland was one of the highest producers of greenhouse gases in Europe, with levels close to that of the United States. However, after implementing the tax that charged about $23 per ton of CO2 in 2010, emissions dropped more than 15%. Yet their economy didn’t fall along with the CO2 levels—it grew instead. I think that Ireland is a great example of the potential carbon taxes can have, and that we should factor in their case when deciding on

Cap and trade is a system aimed at diminishing the rate at which carbon is emitted into the atmosphere by creating an economic system based on meeting a certain minimal threshold or paying low-emitting companies for the right to emit in their place. For example, if company A only emits half of the emissions cap, that company can sell (or trade) the remaining credits to company B, should company B choose to emit one-and-a-half times the cap. A main objection to the cap and trade system is that it is not a strong enough means by which to curb emissions of fossil fuels and is inferior to specifically stronger carbon taxes. While initially appealing, the notion of simply strengthening carbon taxes fails to properly stifle carbon emissions and to adequately incentivize “green” development in comparison to the cap and trade system, preventing carbon taxes from occupying a central role to mitigate carbon emissions.

In Australia, there is an emerging consensus that the government should take further actions to help mitigate and combat climate change. The current most accepted policy by government is the introduction of a carbon tax followed by an ETS in 2015. However we are focusing on the carbon tax in this essay and not the ETS. Here is a brief explanation of the dynamics of a carbon tax. A carbon tax is a tax on energy sources, which emit carbon dioxide (Co2). Therefore, carbon taxes address the problem of negative externality. Externalities are the subsequent effects when individual production or consumption of a particular good or service imposes costs or benefits on others. Therefore negative externalities are effects, which pose harm to others without their direct interaction (Basic Economics 2011). However, usual market practices and transactions do not reflect these cost and benefits in the prices involved in the transaction, or take into account in their transaction decision. Therefore this is a form of market failure. By imposing a cost on these negative externalities, the hidden cost can be addressed. Ultimately the purpose of a carbon tax is to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and therefore reduce

In managing the emissions of GHGs(Green House Gases), carbon taxes will be imposed mid 2012. "Economic theory anticipates that with the increased costs of emitting GHGs, drives emitters to downsize their activities." Salem Press (2009)

Lowering the taxes on big corporations creates new and more jobs for people. Kellyanne Conway, Counselor of the President claims that “When our business pay less taxes, they reinvest their money to the

The green revolution is generally used to explain the application of modern, western-type farming techniques to less economically developed countries. The Green Revolution = == ==

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution machinery and surface temperatures have been on the rise. Some may argue that the increasing temperatures are strictly due to the rise of machinery and less strict efficiency standards. The U.S has been debating what methods are efficient for combating increasing emissions some argue that a carbon tax has many positive impacts some say if one were to be adopted they would need reforms. This paper will dive deep into the the effects of climate of change and whether or not a carbon tax can fully help to decrease these emissions.