California Catching Up with Netherlands Global Warming Taxation
My California Assemblywoman, Sharon Runner, keeps me up to date on my home state politics in her “Runner Report” – click here for a subscription. In it she reveals that California is leading the charge in attempting to pass taxes related to global warming. These bills have successfully made it through the Assembly and await passage by the Senate:
Plastic Bag Tax – AB 2058 (Levine – D) would force grocery stores to impose a new tax of 25 cents for every paper and plastic bag used by shoppers.
Global Warming Tax — AB 2558 (Feuer – D) would authorize the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency to impose one of the two different taxes – an increased gas tax as high as 3 percent of the retail sales price or an increased car registration tax as high as $90 per vehicle.
California, famous for “alternative use” of taxes and fees, is catching up to tax policy in the Netherlands. We can argue about the causes of global warming, but these taxes are an excuse to spend money on unrelated programs. Note the tax on PAPER AND PLASTIC bags. It turns out after an initial attempt to impose plastic bag bans, well researched articles clearly showed that paper bags do MORE environmental damage and landfill “abuse”. The ridiculous solution is NOT to ban both, but to tax both! It’s not behavior change that big government legislators want- it’s our hard earned money.
How do you feel about taxation of individuals to change behavior? How about corporations? How are you staying abreast of this type of tax abuse and voicing your opinion about it?
Don’t miss a post! Subscribe via RSS and EMAIL.
Like this post? See “Related Stories” and click on “tags” below.
(Image Source: stockxchng.com)
