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Comment by vnorilo | Hacker News Reader

Carbon tax is a great idea, and I would support a proposal such as yours.

However, I am afraid it is not a question of implementation, but of dealing with vested interests.

Cabon and other "sin" taxes are a great way to influence change. However we should be lowering income and property taxes at the same time to help with these vested interests.

> However we should be lowering income and property taxes at the same time to help with these vested interests.

What makes you think they need to allow a carbon tax for that? They seem to be doing fairly well at lowering those how they want to without any concessions?

That's what BC did. Its ideologically conservative government at the time introduced a carbon tax going into general revenues, and lowered general taxes, so that the carbon tax is revenue-neutral.

An alarm bell goes off any time someone suggests lowering PROPERTY taxes... ugh. Property taxes should be way higher in most parts of the world to disincentivized speculation.

Yeah my local town removed property tax for new development. In fact, they instituted a TIF (tax incentive fund?) which means the developer gets the property taxes free and clear for new buildings. The city is going broke, but the council is dominated by developer-sponsored shills so its hard to fix.

lower the taxes for primary residence only, then

As has been said. Evenly distribute tax to the people, basic income style. They will be better off, problem solved.

Yes. Unfortunately it's much easier to get supported for green boondoggles that cost the government a lot of money for little gain; than for a money-spinning carbon tax.

Yes, More Taxes, truly the magical elixir of the modern era

Do you have a better idea how to convey the information about true cost of action to the market? You can't let it assume the cost is 0 like it did for last 200 years.

As others have suggested, a corresponding decrease in income and corporate tax such that you get a revenue neutral framework with no additional wasteful government spending would be supported by many, including those on the right. This may also have an additional effect on neutralizing any downwards economic impact from the carbon taxation.

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