Letter: Utah should tax carbon, not sales
(Sebastian Hock | The University of Utah) A winter temperature inversion traps smog over the Salt Lake Valley. A new University of Utah study found that as much as 13 percent of the water vapor in the smog comes from fossil-fuel combustion. The combustion vapor not only rises and falls in concert with daily traffic rush hours and overnight use of home furnaces, but also correlates with rises and falls in combustion-produced carbon dioxide, the major gas causing global warming. Measuring chemical signatures in water vapor from combustion may provide researchers a new way to trace the sources of pollutants and carbon dioxide.
By Robert T. Peterson | The Public Forum
| Dec. 10, 2018, 2:33 p.m.
Gov. Gary Herbert’s proposal to increase the sales tax and to add a tax on services like haircuts and home repair raises revenue but hurts consumers and many small businesses.
However, a tax on carbon pollution could be a win-win for everyone. A carbon tax could generate revenue for the state while allowing a reduction in some other taxes and also help protect our environment by incentivizing a market-based solution to greenhouse gas emissions.
As a pioneering state, let’s take an innovative approach to raising revenue. A carbon tax will protect our economy, consumers, businesses and our environment.
Robert T. Peterson, South Jordan
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