Green tax shift

A green tax shift is a fiscal policy which lowers the taxes on income including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particularly on the consumption of non-renewable or unsustainable consumption. Examples of taxes to be lowered are:

Payroll and income taxes.

Examples of taxes to be implimented or increased:

carbon taxes[?] on the use of fossil fuels. Royalties on the extraction of mineral, energy, and forestry products Licence fees for fishing and hunting Specific taxes on technologies and products which are associated with substantial negative externalities. Garbage disposal taxes Taxes on effluents, emissions and hazardous wastes.

Tax shifting may include balancing taxation levels to be revenue neutral for government, industry or cinsumer groups.

Taxes on consumtion may take the feebate[?] approach advocated by Lovins in which additional fees on less sustainable products - such as SUV's - are pooled to fund rebates on more sustainable alternatives - such as hybrid electric vehicles.

The object of a green tax shift is often to impliment a "full cost accounting", using fiscal policy to internalize market distorting externalities, which leads to higher efficiency, and sustainable wealth creation.