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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2018
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
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PRO-CON
Is France’s rollback of carbon taxes a
major setback for environmentalists?
AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu
A demonstrator stands at a burning makeshift barricade on the famed Champs Elysees in Paris, France. Thousands gathered in the capital and staged road blockades across
the nation to vent anger against rising fuel taxes and Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.
PRO: Push people too far and
we may see Paris-like riots
D
ALLAS — The recent French
year to 55.22 cents per gallon, the sec-
demonstrations against President
ond-highest in the country.
Emmanuel Macron’s gasoline
Instead of rioting like the French, Cal-
tax increase may have been the fi rst such
ifornians forced a statewide tax-repeal
uprising, but it probably won’t be the last
vote last month. The effort failed, with 45
— in France or elsewhere.
percent voting to repeal, but then gasoline
Hundreds of thousands of French
isn’t $7 a gallon in California — yet.
working-class demonstrators took to
But larger battles may be coming.
the streets of Paris and other parts of
For example, socialist and Rep.-
the country to protest Macron’s 25-cent
elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.,
per gallon gas tax increase, with more
recently told an audience, it’s “inevitable
increases to follow. The revenue would
that we can use the transition to 100 per-
supposedly be used to fi ght climate
cent renewable energy as the vehi-
change.
cle to truly deliver and establish
It’s not like gasoline in France
economic, social and racial jus-
is cheap. The average price of
tice in the United States of Amer-
gas is about $7 a gallon, accord-
ica. That is our proposal and that is
ing to the Associated Press, when
what we are here to do.”
adjusted for the European use
The federal government cur-
MERRILL
of liters. That’s $140 to fi ll up a
rently imposes its own tax on gas-
MATTHEWS
20-gallon tank. Ouch!
oline: 18.4 cents per gallon. Small
And that’s in a country where
croissants compared to France.
the average income is about two-
But the federal gasoline tax
thirds that of America’s.
hasn’t been raised in 25 years and has lost
Macron didn’t care because he, like
64 percent of its purchasing power. Look
many progressives, wants to be seen as a
for progressives to seek a signifi cant
leader in the fi ght against climate change,
increase in the near future.
regardless of how much that legacy costs
In addition, members of Congress
the working class.
recently introduced a bipartisan tax on
But it turns out his French constituents
carbon emissions, like Australia’s, that
do care — a lot.
would force fossil fuel-producing com-
Macron was stunned by the size and
panies to pay $15 for each ton of carbon
determination of the spontaneous revolt.
their products emit. The tax would rise by
After insisting he wouldn’t cave on the
$10 per ton every subsequent year.
gas tax, he did, and he is now promising
Those two proposals would make driv-
even more concessions.
ing a car or turning on the lights a lot
France may be the most disruptive, but
more expensive, especially for lower- and
it isn’t the fi rst populist pushback.
fi xed-income families.
Australia became the fi rst country to
Ironically, gasoline and carbon taxes
repeal its tax on carbon emissions. That’s
are very regressive because everyone,
where the government imposes a tax
regardless of income, pays the same price.
on each ton of carbon released into the
Yet progressives support them anyway.
atmosphere.
Imposing carbon and gasoline taxes
Even though it was considered model
is not about ways to pay for needed gov-
legislation, the Aussies didn’t want it and
ernment services. It’s about progressives,
the Senate repealed it in 2014 — after
like Macron, trying to fund their climate
only two years. Prime Minister Tony
change agenda.
Abbott called the tax “a useless destruc-
The lesson from France is that work-
tive tax which damaged jobs, which hurt
ing-class voters have a limit. Push people
families’ cost of living and which didn’t
too far and we may see Paris-like riots in
actually help the environment.”
our own backyards.
Sounds like the French demonstrators.
Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar
Closer to home, California raised
with the Institute for Policy Innovation in
the state’s gasoline tax by 12 cents last
Dallas.
CON: Carbon taxes must address
needs of ordinary people
G
REEN BAY, Wis. — In early
to reduce energy consumption and promote
December, large-scale street pro-
alternative energy sources. They also are
tests forced the French government
strongly favored by economists and many
to roll back its newly imposed fuel taxes.
policy makers as more effi cient than other
The French president later vowed to lower
governance tools.
other taxes as well and to increase wages.
In contrast to what has been done else-
The protesters won a six-month reprieve on
where, the French fuel taxes were both
the taxes, which may or may not return.
poorly designed and carelessly imposed.
The unexpected intensity of public reac-
For example, only about one-fourth of
tion in France raises the question of whether
the new tax revenue was directed at envi-
any form of carbon tax is now politically
ronmental actions that might compen-
feasible. It is, but whether the public views
sate for climate change, such as investing
carbon taxes as acceptable depends
in alternative energy technologies
largely on how they are designed and
or subsidizing energy effi ciency and
presented.
conservation.
Some background is helpful. The
Moreover, gas prices in France
French decision came during the
already were very high compared
same week that the latest U.N. con-
to the U.S. The additional tax of 25
cents per gallon was simply too much
ference on climate change began in
MICHAEL E.
for many working families, and they
Poland. At that meeting, delegates
were angry.
KRAFT
strongly urged nations to accelerate
The French experience nonethe-
their efforts to reduce carbon emis-
less can help to inform what other
sions as new scientifi c studies under-
nations, and states, choose to do to combat
scored potentially catastrophic effects of a
climate change, and especially for how best
rapidly changing climate.
to design carbon taxes to make them more
The latest U.S. study, the 1,600-page
attractive.
National Climate Assessment, written by
For example, one of the most widely dis-
more than 300 federal agency scientists and
cussed proposals in the U.S. is a carbon fee
released just the week before, argued that
and dividend system proposed by the Citi-
we must act aggressively to deal with “sub-
zens Climate Lobby, and embraced by pol-
stantial damages to the U.S. economy, envi-
icy makers from both political parties. The
ronment, and human health and well-be-
fee imposed on carbon sources such as gas-
ing,” that can be expected over the coming
oline would be fully and directly rebated to
decades.
citizens on a regular basis.
There is little reason to be complacent.
Alternatively, other taxes could be
Other scientifi c reports in the past several
reduced proportionately so that there is no
weeks indicate that global emissions of car-
net increase in taxes.
bon dioxide, largely generated by use of
Or, as California chose to do with its new
fossil fuels, are expected to continue rising
12-cent gas tax, the revenue could be ded-
this year by about 2.7 percent — 2.5 percent
icated to popular projects such as repairing
in the U.S — driven by strong economic
highways, bridges and other infrastructure.
growth in the U.S., China and India.
Polls show that most Americans favor
One inescapable conclusion is that nei-
action to mitigate climate change, which
ther the United States nor most of the world
they see increasingly as a real threat to
is on a sustainable path in energy use, and
their well-being, the economy and the
time is running out to change direction.
environment.
While many different policy actions can
A well-designed carbon tax is an import-
help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, there
ant tool to that end, but to be broadly accept-
is no doubt that carbon taxes have a major
able it must visibly and genuinely address
role to play.
the needs and concerns of ordinary people.
France simply got it wrong and its yel-
Michael E. Kraft is professor emeritus of
low vest protests refl ected that.
political science and environmental affairs
Carbon taxes are widely and success-
fully used in Europe and many other nations
at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.