A carbon tax for state coffers

Governor Jay Inslee is pushing for a carbon tax in the state.

His proposal is intended to raise $3.3 billion over four years.

This would significantly increase costs to consumers. Electricity rates could increase 4 to 5 percent, natural gas could increase 9 to 11 percent and gasoline might jump as much as 9 percent.

The carbon tax, it is said, would cut greenhouse emissions and put Washington in the lead for fighting climate change.

In the first years of the tax, however, the new revenues would not go to mitigating climate change. The bulk would go toward public schools in general. This is on top of the increases to schools as result of the McCleary decision.

According to Don Brunell, Gazette contributor, a long standing carbon tax in British Columbia has not achieved its goals.

A carbon tax, any carbon tax, is hotly debated, but there is more than climate change behind this proposal. This carbon tax is being pushed for other reasons. It may just be a means of getting more money into state coffers.

Remember marijuana? For years, marijuana was considered a serious social and health risk. It was blamed for nearly every ill affecting America. Many lives were ruined by prosecution for smoking pot. Then, suddenly, pot was not so bad. The switch didn’t occur because of new research. It occurred because politicians realized that they could raise billions of dollars by making it legal and taxing it.

Now, in the name of ecological stewardship, Washington state will add new taxes primarily for the sake of new revenues. Nothing is new about this, it is just being wrapped in a different guise.

Protecting and improving the environment is vital. Policies, decisions and plans, however, need an element of congruity. That simply means that each element of a program needs to support the others. How does diverting more money into schools and other unrelated endeavors help the environment? The only ecological benefit will come from those people and businesses unable to afford the new taxes on gas, electricity and natural gas.

If the carbon tax is put into law, the money should go for the stated purpose of the tax. Companies should receive incentives for cutting carbon emissions, consumers should receive assistance in purchasing low emission vehicles, truckers should be encouraged to go electric and non-polluting power generation should be improved and fostered.

As it stands, the tax and its use sounds misguided and misdirected and is just a way of getting one serious problem to pay for another.

Financial shenanigans are not the way to solve either.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher