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> Separating out the road use taxes like that will have to be done eventually Across Europe, "fuel taxes vary greatly [...] [taxes account] for 65-80% of unlea

> Separating out the road use taxes like that will have to be done eventually Across Europe, "fuel taxes vary greatly [...] [taxes account] for 65-80% of unleaded petrol price and 60-80% of diesel prices"[0] All those [EDIT: hundreds of] billions raised from the sale of petrol and diesel is going to have to be found somewhere else instead. Taxing electricity more, or taxing charging - or driving - somehow, or by taxing the sale of EVs themselves? [0] https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/ENVISSUENo12/page024.html https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/ENVISSUENo12/page024....

iso1631 4y ago
The things to no longer subsidize would be road use (as part of a land tax) and generated externalities of pollution, including the military and political cost of maintaining a stable oil-producing middle east, the change to the global climate, and more local issues such as oil spills and rubber particulates. However road users like socialism when it's stuff they want to be subsidized. Taxing sales directly doesn't make sense - sure recoup the externalities of lithium mining when the manufacturers buy the lithium, but to charge a consumption tax unrelated to damage done doesn't seem much sense to me.
- mikewarot 4y ago
  How does food for 8 billion people get grown without fossil fuel inputs for fertilizer? What happens to the other 80% of uses for them?
yootyootr 4y ago
in the UK this will probably be achieved by a "per-mile" charge registered on vehicle odometers to replace the lost revenue from fuel duty.
- iso1631 4y ago
  That would be far more sensible (perhaps with different amounts based on co2 generation) - especially the crazy vehicle excise duty where two identical cars will pay the same, whether they do 3,000 miles a year or 130,000 miles a year. But that would be far easier and cheaper than implementing some GPS tracking system in 31 million vehicles, where's the 9-figure contracts that can be given to the mate of a minister?

iso1631 4y ago

The things to no longer subsidize would be road use (as part of a land tax) and generated externalities of pollution, including the military and political cost of maintaining a stable oil-producing middle east, the change to the global climate, and more local issues such as oil spills and rubber particulates. However road users like socialism when it's stuff they want to be subsidized. Taxing sales directly doesn't make sense - sure recoup the externalities of lithium mining when the manufacturers buy the lithium, but to charge a consumption tax unrelated to damage done doesn't seem much sense to me.

mikewarot 4y ago
How does food for 8 billion people get grown without fossil fuel inputs for fertilizer? What happens to the other 80% of uses for them?

yootyootr 4y ago

in the UK this will probably be achieved by a "per-mile" charge registered on vehicle odometers to replace the lost revenue from fuel duty.

iso1631 4y ago
That would be far more sensible (perhaps with different amounts based on co2 generation) - especially the crazy vehicle excise duty where two identical cars will pay the same, whether they do 3,000 miles a year or 130,000 miles a year. But that would be far easier and cheaper than implementing some GPS tracking system in 31 million vehicles, where's the 9-figure contracts that can be given to the mate of a minister?