Posted on 11/15/2012 5:11:35 PM PST by Libloather
House GOP leaders pledge to oppose climate change ‘tax’
By Ben Geman - 11/15/12 03:16 PM ET
The entire House GOP leadership team has registered its opposition to climate legislation that raises revenue, underscoring the long odds that taxing carbon emissions has in negotiations on the fiscal cliff.
The Tea Party group Americans for Prosperity greeted Wednesday’s election of the House GOP leadership team by pointing out that the lawmakers are among the signers of the group’s “no climate tax” pledge.
Signers agree to “oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue.”
They include Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who all retained their leadership posts.
But it also includes the lower ranks of the leadership squad, including new Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) and others.
“Carbon taxes are once again being floated as a way to raise revenue so that Washington can skip the hard work of actually getting runaway entitlement spending under control,” said James Valvo, policy director of the group, which is backed by the Koch brothers, who are active in conservative politics.
“Using a carbon tax to address the deficit would clearly be a violation of the pledge that the entire House leadership team for the 112th and now 113th Congress have already pledged not to do,” he said.
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said this week that a carbon tax, even with offsetting reductions in other taxes, would violate his groups' anti-tax increase pledge that a majority of Republicans have signed, a further sign that influential conservative groups have mobilized against the idea.
Taxing production of oil, gas and coal has gained increased attention in policy circles of late to help address climate change and raise revenue, and some current and former lawmakers say it should be on the table.
But the White House says it’s not going to propose the idea.
While a senior Treasury Department official said this week that a carbon tax might be considered if Republicans brought it forward, the AFP pledge is further proof that it’s unlikely to be in the cards.
White House spokesman Jay Carney on Thursday reiterated that a carbon tax isn’t on the White House to-do list. “We would never propose a carbon tax, and have no intention of proposing one,” he said.
President Obama said during Wednesday’s press conference that he wants to take more steps to address climate change, but suggested it's hardly at the top of his agenda, especially compared to the economy.
Carney underscored that dynamic Thursday.
“The point the president was making is that our focus right now is the same as the American people’s focus, which is on the need to extend economic growth, expand job creation,” he said aboard Air Force One, according to a transcript.
Oppose? Damned well better not even let it come up. All revenue bills must ORIGINATE in the House. Who controls the House?
oh, Sure the Republicans are gong to oppose something....(eye roll)
What will these “leaders” do when soetoro just issues his Executive Orders?
If the GOP do make a deal with Obama with no climate change tax ,Obama will just stick the tax back in just before he signs the deal ,think back to the other deals LOL
They will compromise and let the taxes on the “rich” go up and this fail. The Democrats are just going to try to do something similar by Executive Order anyways.
‘Carbon Tax’ Well let’s see ... is it a ‘tax’ or a ‘fee’? Is it a ‘fee’ or a ‘penalty’? Is it a ‘penalty’ or just another grab from all those rich old white people? I dust can’t tell anymore. Perhaps the SCOTUS will have an opinion. We are just so screwed!
Carbon taxes are just “stupid country” taxes. The smart countries like China are building a new coal-fired power plant or two every week. The stupid countries like Obama’s America are shutting their coal power plants down. The stupid voters in Ohio (over 80% of their electricity comes from coal) just voted to keep doing that for four more years. Of course some of my stupid neighbors in Virginia voted for Obama as well and I will remind them of that vote each time our electric rates go up.
SCOTUS will rule that the carbon tax is really a flatulence tax, therefore if is legal under 0bamacare.
I hope this Carbon Tax isn’t a straw dog that Obama withdraws in place of higher taxes on the 1%.
They better. That is one of the most evil ideas ever. Carbon tax...
If we’re going to have a carbon tax we ought to have a carbon tariff as well. A ton of Chinese CO2 presumably has the same effect on global warming as a ton of American CO2.
double eye roll.... The GOP is toast. Get rid of Boehner.
It sure isn't anyone who pays the bills.
Maybe. Maybe not.
A major source remains the barely scrubbed pollution, from both coal-fueled powerplants and manufacturing in Southern China.
yeah....doubt that
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