France Backs Away From Carbon Tax

[MountainDon]

While U.S. politicians try to keep the idea alive here, the French have announced cancellation of their version of cap-and-trade. They say it will hurt their competitiveness. Vive la France.

Moments of crisis concentrate the mind wonderfully, or at least they should. In France, as public-sector workers mount a nationwide strike and fallout continues from the ruling party's heavy defeat in regional elections, Prime Minister Francois Fillon has indicated that his government will abandon plans to introduce a domestic carbon tax.

"We have to amplify measures that help reinforce the competitiveness of our economy," Fillon told the Reuters news agency. But what about all those green jobs? What about saving planet Earth from imminent planetary doom? Sacre bleu!

France would have been the largest country to impose a carbon tax as part of its efforts to tackle alleged man-induced climate change. It still hopes for an EU-wide tax, which would hamper everybody's economy. Unlike here, France prefers not to lead by example, hoping others will follow.

When the new tax was first approved by parliament last year, President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed it as a vital weapon against global warming. But it was struck down by France's highest court just 48 hours before it was due to come into effect.

The Constitutional Council said there were too many exemptions for certain industries in the tax plan, and that a minority of consumers would bear the burden. The French too, it seems, like to pick industrial winners and losers.

Full story at France Backs Away From Carbon Tax

[ScottA]

I bet the US version will have the same problems with the tax being selective.

[pagan]

Selective and repressive, I imagine.

[ScottA]

I'd agree to such a tax if it was graduated in such a way that people who use a moderate amount of energy pay little or no extra tax and people who use alot pay dearly for it. Might eliminate some of the a-holes who drive thier giant SUV's 80mph everywhere they go and live in  3000+ sf houses and leave all the lights on 24/7.

My biggest gripe is with people who waste a bazillion gallons of water every year watering their 3 acre yards twice a day. They need to pay a water wasting tax.

[pagan]

It would also depend on how the collected taxes were spent.