Effectiveness of Energy and Resources Tax
Many countries have levied energy and resource tax including a carbon tax and this has resulted in the corresponding reduction of carbon emissions. In countries like the United Kingdom, there has been a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions since 1990. Ireland was previously was one of the highest greenhouses producers on the basis of per-capital has witnessed a drop of 15% after implementation of Energy and Resource Tax in 2008.
Sweden and Denmark have adopted a carbon tax in the 1990s have seen a decline in carbon emission by 20 percent and 25 percent respectively. After British Columbia imposed carbon tax, the usage of fuel fell by 16%. The effectiveness is elaborated in our Energy and Resources Tax homework writing services.
Why Energy and Resources Tax?
Emissions of methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and other gases are enhancing the temperature worldwide, shifting rainfall patterns, increasing sea levels, promoting storm intensity, and causing harm to marine life and coral reefs. The emissions of greenhouse gases create a wide range of environmental and economic threats such as property damages from human health risks, storms, minimized agricultural production and deterioration of the ecosystem.
The prices of energy do not include the costs of the emissions of greenhouses gases. People who benefit from fossil fuels do not make payment for environmental damages caused by emissions. Rather, this cost is borne by worldwide people including future generations. When Energy and resource tax are imposed, it rectifies the externality by increasing the cost of energy consumption. One of the efficient ways of collecting this tax is from the importers and fuel producers instead of from fuel users.
The impact of this tax differs greatly among economic groups and it depends on the changes in energy prices and on consumption patterns and energy production. This tax will fall greatly on investors and workers in carbon-intensive industries and on regions that depend greatly on fuels such as coal.
It also depends on the extent businesses pass on the greater energy costs to the consumers. When the demand for the goods is not elastic to the changes in price then consumers have to bear more burden of energy tax compared to workers and investors. The reasons for the implementation of this tax is discussed in our Energy and Resources Tax assignment help online.