FAMILIES would pay a $5000-plus baby levy at birth and an annual carbon tax of up to $800 a child under a plan flagged in Australia's top medical
journal.
Every couple with more than two children would be taxed to pay for enough trees to offset the carbon emissions generated over each child's lifetime.
Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years, not simply by breathing, but by the
profligate consumption of resources typical of our society.
Far from showering financial booty on new mothers and thereby rewarding greenhouse-unfriendly behaviour, a baby levy in the form of a carbon tax
should apply, in line with the polluter pays principle. |
