Chris Shore wrote:
I think its lack of political will to do anything that may lose an
election, but I hope it all backfires, and people see that 99% of so
called 'green taxes' are totally ineffective in actually reducing carbon
emission - the way that 99% of traffic cameras are ineffective at reducing
road deaths. But are GREAT for raising money.

Indeed. More money will be raised and squandered. If the money
raised were committed to investment in public transport, house
insulation, subsidised fluorescent lightbulbs, more fuel-efficient
cars etc. etc, then these
taxes might have some effect. The other effect they will have will
be to increase the cost base of our economy relative to, say, China
and India (who don't yet care about these things as much as we
apparently do) and export more production to countries who pollute
far more than we do in the process.


That can be countered by taking an essentially protectionist stance
against China..on account of their pollution being our problem as well,
this can be spun into a 'fair' solution.

As I said, my solutin is to replace income tax with a consumption tax.

And underwrite everyones wages with a citizens income

This might reduce cost of labour in the country to a much lower value
relative to china, and stimulate local manufacturing, and be socially
beneficial, and help offset Chinas instransigence with respect to their
currency policy, that aims to keep the Remnimbi low relative to western
currencies.


One good thing the government could do would be to force car
manufacturers to build far more fuel-efficient engines. We had
the chance to do this when pressure came on them to reduce
emissions. They came up with the catalytic converter - an awful
solution. From the point of view of the manufacturers, it was
wonderful - easy to implement, cost passed directly on to
customer. From an environmental point of view, it's a disaster
as far as I can see as it reduces the fuel efficiency of the engine.
An opportunity missed...


I don;t think paring away at efficiencies is going to net us the overall
50-80% reductions we need.

We need a total re-evaluation of lifestyle to a low energy one to start
with, and then replace oil with things like nuclear and wind power...

There are no technical fixes other than those based on that.

Government has only tow tools. Legislation and taxation. Legislation is
oppressive, and taxation will only ultimately work if its *directly*
coupled to fossil energy usage, and the gratuitous consumption of raw
materials in short supply.
In short we need to cerate a playing field that tilts over time (you
need time, because otherwise you get things like the poll tax riots)
towards using what resources we have - unskilled and semi skilled labour
- and away from using what we don't have - energy, particularly carbon
based energy.


The net effect of a switch from income tax/NI/benefit towards carbon
tax, VAT and consumption tax would be to

- raise the cost of importing and imports
- lower the wage cost of local produce.
- make carbon based energy expensive relative to the alternatives.
- reduce government interference and spending on enforcement of fiscal
law - because most of it vanishes.
- eliminate poverty traps and promote entry level labour at very low
employer cost, and make the labour market extremely fluid and flexible.

If there are no 'loss of benefits' no 'income taxes' and no 'employers
national insurance and PAYE then employing someone becomes a simple
matter of 'you work, I pay, cash all right?'..all other pension and
medical assurance stuff is simply done for all citizens as a matter of
right, and of course. If enough jobs are created, you don;t need to
worry about protecting the ones you have..

- make 'stuff' relatively more expensive to PURCHASE, but if the tax is
done the right way, very cheap to FIX..instantly the economics of e.g.
having a £3000 washing machine fixed for £50 - thereby employing someone
local..leads to a huge reduction in refuse and recycling..

The point is you don't have to micro manage this the way Laber is trying
to. Simply by moving the taxation burden, the market itself will go in
the generally desirable direction. No need to send the bailiffs round to
social security scroungers, Make everyone a social security scrounger
and declare it legal..THAT is the sort of equality I want to see ;-)
No need to subsidise alternative technology - make it sufficiently
attractive financially and the banks and private equity houses will do
all that for you , at their risk.




Chris