U.S. Solons Urge Colleagues to Support Carbon Tax Bill

U.S. House Ways and Means Committee member John B. Larson (D-CT)  and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) have urged their colleagues in the Lower House to support the “America’s Energy Security Trust Fund Act, ” which would tax carbon emissions offset with a payroll tax rebate.  H.R. 3416 would amend the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) of 1986 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the United States domestic energy supply.

Specifically, the Act:

—Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on any taxable carbon substance sold by a manufacturer, producer, or importer. Defines “taxable carbon substance” as: (1) coal (including lignite and peat); (2) petroleum and any petroleum products; and (3) natural gas that is extracted, manufactured, or produced in the United States, or entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing.

—Establishes in the Treasury the America’s Energy Security Trust Fund to finance research in clean energy technology, assist industries negatively affected by this Act, and provide carbon tax rebates to individual taxpayers.

—Allows individual taxpayers a tax credit equal to carbon tax rebate amounts calculated by the Secretary of the Treasury.

—Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to study and report to Congress on the best methods to assess and collect taxes on non-carbon greenhouse gases.

—Expresses the sense of Congress that the major greenhouse gas emitting countries should join with the United States in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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