Don't Use Climate Change to Hide Tax Hikes!

A climate bill should not be a vehicle for hiding a tax hike.
Let your elected officials know that you're watching how they vote on hidden energy taxes.

The climate-change issue has divided Americans and divided conservatives. Building a consensus on the issue looks complicated, but it’s as simple as one word: taxes. We should build from the premise that climate policy must not be used as a cover for raising federal revenue.

The Congressional Budget Office says the Lieberman-Warner cap-and-trade bill would amount to a $1.2 trillion tax hike on the American economy over the next ten years. This tax will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for gasoline, electricity, heating oil, food, and any product that is transported to market. Climate legislation has the potential to cripple the American economy, the American Dream, and the American way of life.

Honest supporters of government action on climate should have no problem pledging that they will not use it as an opportunity to raise taxes. After all, it's possible to dramatically alter incentives in favor of lower emissions through a revenue-neutral package of energy taxes paired with pro-growth tax cuts. Refusing to sign the pledge should make voters consider whether it is the tax hikes, not the climate policy, that are the real goal.