Designing a Carbon Tax to Reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

38 Pages Posted: 8 Oct 2008 Last revised: 13 Oct 2022

See all articles by Gilbert E. Metcalf

Gilbert E. Metcalf

Tufts University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: October 2008

Abstract

This article describes a revenue and distributionally neutral approach to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that uses a carbon tax. The revenue from the carbon tax is used to finance an environmental earned income tax credit designed to be distributionally neutral. The credit is linked to earned income and helps offset the regressivity of the carbon tax. The carbon tax reform proposal is also revenue neutral and avoids conflating carbon policy with debates over the appropriate size of the federal budget. The article provides a distributional analysis of the proposal and also makes a number of political, economic and administrative arguments in favor of a carbon tax and responds to the arguments that have commonly been made against using a tax-based approach to reducing U.S. emissions.

Suggested Citation

Metcalf, Gilbert E., Designing a Carbon Tax to Reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (October 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14375, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1278449

Gilbert E. Metcalf (Contact Author)

Tufts University - Department of Economics ( email )

Medford, MA 02155
United States
617-627-3685 (Phone)
617-627-3917 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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