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Tax Is as Tax Does
This article is exactly right. I’ve frequently seen high oil prices referred to as “a tax on consumers.” But they’re not. High prices are high prices, and taxes are taxes. And it’s important not to get the two confused. High prices may lead people to buy less gasoline (at least in the short term), but they’ll also lead producers to do their darndest to bring more gasoline to market. Taxes,...Read more » -
Broken Sin Tax?
Some good ideas from the Deep South. Bills introduced in the Alabama and Texas would levy taxes on pollution. The Alabama bill would charge 10¢/pound for emitting toxic substances—a tiny fine, but a step in the right direction. The Texas bill would raise $1.2 billion for schools by taxing pollution from coal-fired power plants and gas-guzzling vehicles. I don’t know what the politics of either legislature are like, but I’d...Read more » -
I'm the Tax, Man
“If you want people to consume something less, the simplest thing to do is price it more dearly.” Thus goes the argument for higher gasoline taxes, articulated by none other than General Motors’ chairman and chief executive G. Richard Wagoner Jr.. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: for years automakers have expressed quiet support for higher gas taxes, mostly as a replacement for the fuel economy regulations (known...Read more » -
Tax Shift
Tax Shift is a program for using the tax system to get more of what we want, such as flusher bank accounts, clean air, and healthier communities.Read more » -
How the Oil Industry Will Try to Kill Carbon Pricing
As Oregon and Washington contemplate a carbon tax or carbon cap, the oil industry is revving the engines for an astro-turf scare campaign here. The oil lobby spends a million dollars a month in California. As Oregon and Washington start thinking about holding them accountable, the oil lobby is turning its scare machine our way. Governor Inslee has proposed a plan that would cap carbon pollution in Washington and move...Read more » -
ODOT Running on Empty
Earlier this week I heaped scorn on the Washington State Department of Transportation's penchant for serving up B.S. Given how harsh I was, I figure it's my duty to point out when a Northwest transportation agency tells it like it really is. So here's a remarkably straight scoop from the Oregon DOT --- essentially admitting that ODOT is running out of money. In a nutshell, the agency has looked at traffic volume and gas tax revenue trends, along with its debt service commitments, and has concluded it will have to cut its construction budget by 50 percent by 2015. And what's especially admirable is that they back up their gloomy forecast with real numbers and clear-eyed analysis, not spin.
Earlier this week I heaped scorn on the Washington State Department of Transportation’s penchant for serving up B.S. Given how harsh I was, I figure it’s my duty to point out when a Northwest transportation agency tells it like it really is. So here’s a remarkably straight scoop from the Oregon DOT — essentially admitting that ODOT is running out of money. In a nutshell, the agency has looked at...Read more » -
How Portland’s Form of Government Makes It Hard to Find Parking
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Will Portland Finally Accelerate the Pace of Parking Reform?
“Urgent.” A Portland task force studying how to use pricing tools to make the transportation system more equitable used the word five times in their final recommendations, which are expected to be adopted by city council on October 13th. But is the city up to the task? Side by side with new ideas are ones that somehow keep coming back to city hall every couple years, with few results to...Read more » -
Washington State Leads the Nation on Climate Action
Eight years into Jay Inslee’s tenure, he finally signed a bill capping statewide climate pollution. The Climate Commitment Act (CCA), or SB-5126, passed the Senate by a 27-22 vote with one day left in the legislative session. The bill implements the most aggressive statewide cap and invest system in the nation, and will be a critical tool to meet Washington’s recently updated emissions reduction targets. Many variations of pollution caps...Read more » -
A Managed Decline for Oil-Dependent Regions
To mark out a path to a just transition from fossil fuels for other oil-dependent regions like Alaska and North Dakota, it’s worth understanding a little about the Norwegian success story.Read more »
