[mojito]

Why reduce the size of the state when you can grow it and grow it and grow it in pursuit of economy-destroying utopian schemes justified with dubious, hysterical science?

You can tell where this is headed. The left is already in a lather at the prospect of a 2nd Zero term. When I exhale, that's an emission. I'm waiting for Zero's 2nd term when he proposes a breathing tax to be implemented by executive fiat. The Roberts' court has already said that such a tax is constitutional. Add that to the ruling that said the EPA can do whatever it likes to regulate carbon dioxide "pollution" and you can see that your days of liberty are numbered.

Welcome to tyranny. Have a happy, emission-free day!

[ryan71]

“This was good news not only for the environment but for nearly everyone who pays taxes in British Columbia, because the carbon tax is used to reduce taxes for individuals and businesses.”

What happens when the energy companies raise their rates?

[bill1952]

Someone there actually believes that the House will propose & pass such a tax?

[Disambiguator]

The United States should jump at the chance to adopt a similar revenue-neutral tax swap.

If it's really revenue-neutral, then doing nothing at all is a more sensible option.

[Cementjungle]

The United States should jump at the chance to adopt a similar revenue-neutral tax swap

The US should jump at the idea of a tax on lies in the media.

[wac3rd]

“The United States should jump at the chance to adopt a similar revenue-neutral tax swap. It’s an opportunity to reduce existing taxes, clean up the environment and increase personal freedom and energy security.”

I have never, in my adult life, ever read such a moronic and utter falsehood in my life. The fecking Commies at they dying rag NYT want war, they may get it. Reduce taxes? Carbon HELPS the eco-system. Personal freedom incrased? By whom, bicyclists? Energy security? For whom, Solyndra or Lightsquared?

This is Commie garbage...

[SuziQ]

Just another reason to vote Obama out, and as many Democrats in the House and Senate that we can muster! And we can point to this tax, along with all the new Obamacare taxes, as good reasons to defeat him, when talking to our friends, family, etc.

[wac3rd]

One of the authors Bauman, is a Left Wing economic comic:

http://www.standupeconomist.com/

The NYT is running out of lies and resources...dipping into the hipster comedians?

LOL

[Billthedrill]

Substituting a carbon tax for some of our current taxes — on payroll, on investment, on businesses and on workers — is a no-brainer.

Yes, it is, and not in the way the authors apparently mean. "Sensible" is a liberal code word for "it sounds reasonable, so no need to actually think about it."

[Richard Axtell]

The drafters of this Canadian brainstorm have a talking point to use: the tax should encourage businesses to switch to NON carbon and NON fossil based energy generation, and thereby save a fortune in corporate income taxes at the same time!

Trouble is the “Law of Unintended Consequences” has not been repealed! Fossil fuel and energy generated from it is relatively cheap. Nuclear power isn't going to be an alternative, only very expensive and very inefficient “renewable energy” will be tax exempt. Business and industry needs energy to do what they do... and so they will do it elsewhere.

BC will lose its manufacturing base, as energy prices climb, and corporate taxes remain static, or are increased to make up for revenue loss due to business flight from the province. The result? Less revenue, more unemployment, and another unintended utopian economic disaster.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

As I've said here before; B.C.'s Carbon Tax among the least bad things that government's do to "fight global warming". (There can be no "good" solutions to a problem that does not exist.)

As the article points out, the tax was designed to be "revenue neutral" -- other taxes were cut by an amount equal to the amount collected by the carbon tax. The leftists, and greens wanted the tax to be earmarked for "green energy" projects -- which would have resulted in a lot of waste. Our (nominally) right-wing "Liberal Party" government insisted that the money go to general revenue, and be used to reduce other taxes.

I say "least bad"; because there are many worse ways for governments to intervene: cap and trade; bans on light bulbs, etc.; CAFE standards for vehicles; subsidies for "green energy" industries; etc. This particular carbon tax is the least bad, because it does the least to distort the market; and because the revenues are used to reduce other taxes.

We are likely to get a socialist (NDP) government after the next provincial election. Soon after, I expect that the revenues from the carbon tax will be used for "green energy", and general taxes will rise sharply. In that event; the carbon tax will become just plain "bad" -- perhaps one of the worst government interventions.

[HereInTheHeartland]

We need to work to ensure that the carbon life forms at the White House are exchanged for different ones.

[Bratch]

"[G]overnment's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:

If it moves, tax it.

If it keeps moving, regulate it.

And if it stops moving, subsidize it"

- Ronald Reagan

[panzerkamphwageneinz]

They’re going to outlaw wood burning fire places, and the burning of wood for any reason what so ever. They’ll tax you for emission and you can’t fuel your home, heat your water or cook your food. You will have to depend on the government supplied energy if you want to survive.

They won’t stop until we are batteries in their machine.

[SandRat]

Why AZ SB1070 in full should be implemented nation wide.

[Lancey Howard]

a revenue-neutral tax swap

LMBO!!!
Is that anything like a "temporary" tax?

[Moonman62]

What’s Up With That ran an article the other day saying our CO2 emissions are close to 1990 levels all because of the cheap availability of natural gas and power companies switching to it from coal.

[Elsie]

It mattereth not how SENSIBLE it is; taxes MUST be raised SOMEWHERE to pay the damned BILLS we’ve run up!

Either that or vastly devalue our money; which you are seeing every time you go to buy something.

[Toddsterpatriot]

ON Sunday, the best climate policy in the world got even better: British Columbia’s carbon tax — a tax on the carbon content of all fossil fuels burned in the province — increased from $25 to $30 per metric ton of carbon dioxide, making it more expensive to pollute.

That's awesome, except carbon dioxide is not pollution.

[skeama]

The enumeration of Orwellian double speaks in this plausible plagiary of 1984 dwarfs an operating system’s capacity to process very large integers.