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You get the same refund whether you buy more gas or not. The point is it incentivizes people to use less carbon.
by colinmhayes 6y ago
You get the same refund whether you buy more gas or not. The point is it incentivizes people to use less carbon.
- bluGill 6y agoMy point is most people don't see their gas consumption as something they can change. There are a few who will, and eventually more fuel efficient cars become popular, but for the most part people see gasoline as something you need to buy to live life. So if the price goes up other things get cut first. In other words gasoline is not very elastic, which we already know. When people start to see that carbon tax is why they can't live, they will vote to kill it. In the US we are not in a situation where drivers are a small enough minority that they can be ignored.
- abraae 6y agoWe have friends who are into their car rallying. They drive in a group of 4 or 5 families half way across the country towing their rally cars and entourage, let alone the actual racing part. It's a huge gas guzzling event. Yes, they probably consider that they need to keep up this hobby "to live". One of them said to me that she did feel bad about the environmental impact, but she had no way to offset it. In her eyes, higher petrol prices would be good - unpleasant but good - because she could then be guilt-free about her carbon-spewing lifestyle. This to me is the true beauty of a carbon tax.