Belgium to impose tax on barbequing to fight global warming

RIA Novosti ^ | April 3rd 2007 | RIA Novosti

[Optimill]

BRUSSELS, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported.

Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2, a so-called greenhouse gas, is emitted during barbequing. Beginning June 2007, residents of Wallonia will have to pay 20 euros for a grilling session.

The local authorities plan to monitor compliance with the new tax legislation from helicopters, whose thermal sensors will detect burning grills.

Scientists believe CO2 emissions are a major cause of global warming.

[Optimill]

Assuming the article has it's facts correct (I don't have a link to a native source article and don't know French), how much CO2 will the helicopter pump out as they look for those rogue BBQ parties???

[Dan Evans]

These greedy government control freaks will be taxing every breath we take if they are not stopped.

[Jeff Chandler]

I’ll give up my grilling when they pry my hot burnt burgers from my cold, dead fingers.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Europe pinglist.

[rockinqsranch]

Must be a considerable amount of barbecuing in Belgium for it to be worthwhile to expend all the CO2 from the helicoptor to monitor for illicit barbecuing.

[Holicheese]

They could just put a special tax on ground beef and ketchup.
That would show those rouge barbaquers!

[Billthedrill]

$26.71 US for me to char my burgers? That’ll put a crimp on the old food budget. Maybe I can purchase some cheeseburger credits from Algore...

[Frank_2001]

Imagine if they tried something like that in Texas, hehe;)

[LIConFem]

I wanna go live on another planet, just to get away from this kind of stupidity. It’s spreading like the plague down here.

[modest proposal]

i’d like to see them try and put a tax on barbecuing in alabma

and even more amusing would be them trying to enforce one

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

They don’t want you to give it up, they just want you to pay them to allow you to do it.

[SledgeCS]

Ouch I would need a pay raise if it is 20 euro per grilling session.

20.00 EUR = 26.6452 USD

[Fierce Allegiance]

Ain’t no way this will fly in the USA!

[Constantine XIII]

It’s official:

Belgium is WORSE THAN HITLER.

[Holicheese]

I wonder if the helicopter is armed?

[Constitution Day]

I’d like to see someone try that here in the South.

[TexasRepublic]

These greedy government control freaks will be taxing every breath we take if they are not stopped.

Exactly -- every breath we expell contains CO2. So does decomposing material. Why not tax the dead?

[massgopguy]

Do they not have stoves in houses over there?

[Fierce Allegiance]

Is buying charcoal with a mastercard considered a carbon credit?

[Constitution Day]

ROFL, I hear ya bro!

There would be a massive uprising.