Dear Ecologers, I imagine that many of you, like me, recently received a solicitation for Lester Brown's book "Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble" in your mailboxes. I took the opportunity to check it out from our library, and overall, I was impressed by the good overview of issues and MOST IMPORTANTLY the discussion of a plan for action that seemed very reasonable and well thought-out, and actually do-able! There were also many very encouraging case studies from around the world on issues of energy, transportation, and other aspects of sustainability.
One of the most interesting plans I thought was to shift the tax burden from income taxes to (fossil) energy taxes, so that on average, the total tax burden for any individual would remain unchanged. This would have several very nice effects, including primarily discouraging use of fossil fuels by raising the price to reflect their true cost to society. Also, it would give individuals more control over their own tax burden. I suspect that people like me (who try to conserve wherever possible) would actually end up paying less taxes than we currently do. Of course, over time as less revenue comes in from energy taxes due to conservation, income tax would have to be raised gradually back up (while not decreasing energy taxes) to maintain a balanced budget. Anyway, I would feedback on what other people have thought of the suggestions in Brown's book. Thanks, Tim -- --------------------------------- Tim Nuttle, PhD Research Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences University of Pittsburgh A234 Langley Hall 4249 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA ---------------------------------
