Taxing Carbon: A Dilemma for Obama. Commentary by Thomas L. Friedman, NYTimes, December 28, 2008. "I believe the second biggest decision Barack Obama has to make -- the first is deciding the size of the stimulus -- is whether to increase the federal gasoline tax or impose an economy-wide carbon tax. Best I can tell, the Obama team has no intention of doing either at this time. I understand why. Raising taxes in a recession is a no-no. But I've wracked my brain trying to think of ways to retool America around clean-power technologies without a price signal -- i.e., a tax -- and there are no effective ones. (Toughening energy-efficiency regulations alone won't do it.) Without a higher gas tax or carbon tax, Obama will lack the leverage to drive critical pieces of his foreign and domestic agendas."
2008-12-28
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