Americans for Tax Reform issued the following statement upon passage of the Scalise/McKinley Anti-Carbon-Tax Resolution:
Congressional Democrats have announced that they will impose a national energy tax on the American people. This will be a central issue in the November election. The contrast could not be clearer: Democrats will raise your taxes, Republicans will not.
Carbon taxes are so harmful to households that even Hillary Clinton rejected a carbon tax. A study prepared by Clinton’s advisers found that a carbon tax would have a disproportionate impact on low income households, would cause gas prices to increase 40 cents a gallon, would cause electricity prices to increase 12%-21%, would cause household energy bills to go up $480 a year, and would increase the cost of household goods and services. It was so bad, even Hillary Clinton decided against a carbon tax.
Congressional Democrats are now to the Left of Hillary Clinton on the carbon tax. Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election.
Carbon taxes are toxic with voters, even in left-leaning areas. Politicians who impose carbon taxes are routinely kicked out of office. Australian politicians imposed a carbon tax in 2012 and were quickly thrown out of office by voters in 2013. The Australian carbon tax was repealed in 2014.
True-blue Washington state voters rejected a carbon tax ballot measure in 2016, by a 60-40 margin.
Endorsing a carbon tax is bad for your electoral health, even in Vermont where the Republican anti-carbon-tax candidate defeated the Democrat pro-carbon-tax candidate to win the governorship.
Even Canadians are revolting against the carbon tax. The carbon tax is so unpopular in Canada that it is emerging as the most potent issue for the 2019 elections.
It’s no wonder that the Founder of the Center for American Progress said, “We have done extensive polling on a carbon tax. It all sucks.”
This was affirmed by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager, who said this of a carbon tax: “To be clear: It’s lethal in the general, so I don’t want to support one.”
ATR commends Congressmen Steve Scalise and David McKinley for taking the lead in fighting back against the efforts of the Democrats to raise taxes on American families and businesses.