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> It is a similar picture in the UK, where the Conservative party’s surprise victory in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection was in large part due to the p
by user_7832 3y ago
> It is a similar picture in the UK, where the Conservative party’s surprise victory in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip byelection was in large part due to the plans by London’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, to expand the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to the capital’s outer boroughs.
> Put simply, the Ulez seeks to improve London’s air quality by placing a charge on the use of older petrol and diesel vehicles, which tend to be not just the most polluting but also the most likely to be owned by poorer households already struggling with Britain’s cost of living crisis.
Tangentially but still related, but taxing anything with negative externalities without compensating is absolutely stupid, and regressive - hurting the poor the most. A bachelors economic student will tell you that, and I know it because that was the level that I learnt at. For the mayor('s party) to plan such a thing, that's on them. But, carbon taxes themselves needn't be bad if you also provide say a per capita dividend.
- AuthorizedCust 3y ago> if you also provide say a per capita dividend Or offset by reducing other taxes, like sales tax. This would be more of a tax-shifting strategy.
- user_7832 3y agoI'm not entirely sure I understand you. Are you saying that sales taxes can be reduced to compensate for carbon taxes? If so that may also have side effects as sales tax can be distortionary and may be more difficult to control (as you'd need to change sales taxes whenever you change carbon taxes.) Not saying it's necessarily bad, it'll just be important to take care of side effects to make it a good idea.
- AuthorizedCust 3y agoYes, reduce sales tax enough to offset new revenues from a carbon tax. This may start a philosophical shift from the type of tax to the total revenue needed, which I think would be helpful. That would give increased room for flexibility in the form of taxation, which might give easier paths to address legitimate concerns with tax types.
- qingcharles 3y agoOne thing I have found being poor is that the poor pay more for absolutely everything. It's insidious. Everything is affected by it. Even buying a hamburger at McDonald's - it'll say "You can get two-for-one if you use the app". But app requires phone. And phone requires plan. And you need a debit card too. Or I'll regularly see "Buy one, get another 50% off" on something essential like soap, but I can barely even afford the one, and certainly not the second one at 50% off. Most of these offers are out of reach for those that need them most.
- user_7832 3y agoI think there’s a name for this - the poverty tax. I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Are you in a better place now?
- qingcharles 3y agoAbsolutely not. BUT, you can be poor and happy. I am probably the poorest I've ever been in my life, but I'm also perhaps at one of the happiest points, so there is that? I'm alive and seemingly healthy. Someone gave me a roof over my head, and an Internet connection, and food pantries are a godsend for someone who is not legally allowed to get any welfare support from the government. I've been a very, very selfish, very rich prick in my past, so this is probably a good experience for me!
- ssss11 3y agoThis is such an insightful comment - it’s exactly the kind of examples that wealthy (or even regular) people wouldn’t grasp without having lived through it themselves.