The Plan for Emissions Tax
The plan for an Emissions Tax is simple, aims to be fair and balanced, and consists of 3 main parts –
- Lower Income Taxes
- Price Pollution
- Fund Liabilities
This is just an outline, much research still need to be conducted and outreach to parties on both sides of the issue. If we move quickly, something could be implemented within the next 2-4 years.
Income and Employment Tax Reductions
People hate paying taxes of any sort, so while we plan to tax emissions with just cause, we will lower Income taxes for the working class and poor. In fact, under our plan, Income Taxes would be lowered at all levels to make the tax fair and equitable.
Tax incentives would go to companies and individuals that capture carbon and other emissions, ensuring that they get recorded and properly contained. A general guide line would be to lower the income tax an amount equal to what the average worker would be paying in Emissions Taxes.
This would incentivize them to either reduce their emissions to save money or to afford the tax while scientific progress reduces emissions for them.
Pricing Pollution – Taxing Emissions and Collection
To tax harmful emissions including carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur and nitrogen dioxide, lead, and any other toxin emitted into our water or air, we need to calculate the environmental impact of each type of emission then calculate the content of the base commodities in our economy (heating oil, natural gas, gasoline ect).
The tax would be imposed at the point of consumption, much like a sales tax is collected, with holders of resale certificates exempt from the tax.
By having an excise tax on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, the price of toxic emissions will go up, reducing demand. The Emissions Tax will be applied over the course of years, allowing markets to adjust for the change.
A labeling system will be designed and implemented, much like our food labeling, on every product the tax is applied to. This will allow consumers and businesses to chose the most cost effective solution for their energy needs.
For employers, we would reduce employment taxes such as Social Security, Medicare and also Unemployment Insurance. This would free up money for businesses to hire more employees, invest in cleaner technology and capital equipment, or help pay for the tax where reductions cannot be made.
This part of the #EmissionsTax plan will increase the incentive for people to work by giving them more control over their earnings, while making labor more affordable and motivated for both small and large businesses alike.
Job Creation and Research Funding
An Emissions Tax will create jobs and opportunity in public and private sector alike. It will make recycling a viable business, promote physical labor such as street cleaning and tree planting, strengthen local communities and more.
Demand for emission collection, research , healthcare and rebates for planting trees, commercial use/storage of emissions will create high paying, technical jobs and entry level work that makes a real impact in the world we live in. Research, regulation and enforcement will create jobs in the governments sector, while the incentive to reduce emissions tax liabilities will reward companies that hire the greatest talent to innovate and the hardest worker to get the job done.
For those unemployed more than 26 weeks will be given a job at an entry level position for a green public works project for the rate of $10-12 an hour with benefits. These entry level jobs will consist of physical tasks such as street trash collection/sweeping, planting trees, recycling sorting,cleaning of state/local assets. For those that cannot or wish not to do physical work, entry level clerical tasks, training, data entry and other positions will be available.
For those that still cannot work, our society will have more funding for the safety nets we already have in place, like Social Security and Disability.
Emissions Tax Rewards Efficiency
Taxing emissions promotes conservation, creates incentive to push technology and allows for greater freedom.
Our current economy is set up to allow people and businesses to subsidize the true costs of their energy usage onto the environment. The easiest way to get ahead in a capitalistic society financially is to pollute. An Emissions Tax would fix that, incentivizing groups and individuals to reduce their emissions by using less polluting alternatives or being more efficient in their daily transactions.
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