Tax Reform and the Fiscal Cliff
The nation may need new revenue sources to address its fiscal problems, and some are speculating that President Obama may consider a carbon tax as part of the solution. This weekend the Washington Post Editorial Board called a carbon tax “the best plan lawmakers can take off the shelf to fight global warming,” and RFF University Fellow William Pizer noted that “If something is discouraged, it might as well be something bad like pollution instead of employment and savings.”
RFF President Phil Sharp joined a National Journal panel last week to discuss what to expect during the lame duck session of Congress. He noted that a carbon tax may be a potential new stream of income that could “kill two birds with one stone.” Video is available here.
RFF experts answer many of the pressing questions about a carbon tax and weigh options for designing the tax in these FAQs.
Voters Care about Climate
In the president’s acceptance speech, he briefly mentioned the threat of a warming planet, perhaps in reference to the discussions about Hurricane Sandy during the days prior to the election. According to surveys and research by RFF University Fellow Jon Krosnick, US voters generally favor environmental policies and talking about those policies can help candidates. Video and slides from his presentation at RFF are available here.
