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French Supreme Court prohibits CO2 tax

  • 01-01-2010 10:01am
    #1
    crossmolinalad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 837 ✭✭✭


    French Supreme Court prohibits CO2 tax

    Posted on December 31, 2009 by tax planning
    hippy.jpg?w=118&h=120The French Supreme Court has ruled against the President Sarkozy proposed CO2 tax under the tax law that too many exceptions and loopholes contains the largest polluters, and thus its apparent goal, combating climate change, will fail. The decision is a blow for the Sarkozy government whose budget depends on the new tax.


    The CO2 tax would take effect on January 1 as a tax on oil, gas and coal from € 17, - per tonne of CO2 emissions. Spacious exceptions would however be awarded to the largest conglomerates industiële, transport, farmers and fisheries. The Supreme Court concluded that in this implementation of the law 93% of industrial CO2 would be exempt, according to the judges a violation of the essence of equality between taxpayers.
    The government proposed new tax Sarkozy approximately € 1.5 billion in taxes to rake, money that is desperately needed. France's' deficit for 2010 is estimated at less than 8.5% of GDP, and that figure may now tenth percent tip to be revised upwards.
    City or vote for this article:
      nujij.jpg


    Comments

    • #2
      Run_to_da_hills
      Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


      Good. I see this as just another form of revenue for the French Government. How much of this tax would have actually been ploughed back into creating renuable sources?


    • #3
      Pineapple_Boi
      Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭Pineapple_Boi


      bad news really, high carbon tax on ordinary citizens is one of very few things that can make them curb their lavish lifestyle


    • #4
      probe
      Closed Accounts Posts: 2,055 ✭✭✭probe


      Pineapple_Boi wrote: »
      bad news really, high carbon tax on ordinary citizens is one of very few things that can make them curb their lavish lifestyle
      The "ordinary citizens" of the communist French republic don't have a lavish lifestyle - and France has one of the lowest emissions of CO2 per capita in Europe... The only European country to beat France is capitalist Switzerland which has an even lower CO2 emissions level - despite the fact that it is far more industrialized than France.

      How has Switzerland achieved this? Perfect public transport. Swiss rail, tram, and bus operators recognise that they are in the *transportation business* rather than in the rail, tram or bus business. Passenger public transport services in Switzerland are integrated door to door - as close as one can get to a public chauffeured limmo service. Swiss rail freight has the highest share of the freight market of any country in the world. You can track your rail freight shipments on the web and monitor their progress minute by minute. All powered by electricity rather than oil. Green electricity.

      France's CO2 tax was thrown out by the constitutional court because it was selective. Most of the large industrial polluters in France were given one type of exemption or another.

      CO2 taxes and "congestion charges" are dumb political band aids to cover up the air pollution problem - which won't work.

      Perfect public transport, green electricity and planning regulations that require passivhaus insulation standards for all buildings (among other things) are the solution to most forms of pollution and traffic congestion - not just CO2.


    • #5
      Macha
      Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,376 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


      probe wrote: »
      The "ordinary citizens" of the communist French republic don't have a lavish lifestyle - and France has one of the lowest emissions of CO2 per capita in Europe...
      A European comparison doesn't really say much now, does it?
      probe wrote: »
      France's CO2 tax was thrown out by the constitutional court because it was selective. Most of the large industrial polluters in France were given one type of exemption or another.
      Perhaps so but most industry is already covered under ETS and therefore cannot be subject to a carbon tax: their carbon has already been priced under a different scheme.
      probe wrote: »
      CO2 taxes and "congestion charges" are dumb political band aids to cover up the air pollution problem - which won't work.
      Internalisation of external costs is a central tenet of sustainability. Putting a price on carbon, whatever method you prefer, is necessary in order to internalise the cost of carbon.
      probe wrote: »
      Perfect public transport, green electricity and planning regulations that require passivhaus insulation standards for all buildings (among other things) are the solution to most forms of pollution and traffic congestion - not just CO2.
      And these things don't just happen by themselves. The point of a carbon tax is to introduce a market signal on carbon that doesn't exist. It is supposed to act as both a carrot and stick to achieve the other aims you list above.


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