Key Vote YES on Anti-Carbon Tax Resolution, H.Con.Res 119

On behalf of FreedomWorks activists nationwide, I urge you to contact your representative and ask him or her to vote YES on the resolution expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy, H.Con.Res. 119, introduced by Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.).

Carbon taxes, like all government interventions in the economy, reward certain individuals and industries at the expense of everyone else. Independent studies into the potential impact of such a tax reveal that American families would have to pay higher electricity and fuel costs, and could lead to higher prices in other areas of the economy. This burden would be borne disproportionately by lower and middle income families, those who can least afford to do so.

The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) 2013 analysis states, “A carbon tax would increase the prices of fossil fuels in direct proportion to their carbon content. Higher fuel prices, in turn, would raise production costs and ultimately drive up prices for goods and services throughout the economy.”

Proponents of such a tax argue that it would be revenue neutral. This is incredibly unlikely. Perhaps in a vacuum, a carbon tax is revenue neutral. However, there are various other taxes that would have to be kept in place to make a carbon tax feasible. Some of these other taxes would have otherwise been phased out of law. In reality, a carbon tax would increase government revenue, and prevent the elimination of other harmful taxes on American families.

After all of the good accomplished for American businesses and consumers through tax cuts, it is important that Congress, in no uncertain terms, repudiates a carbon tax, and the effects it will have on the economy. Our elected leaders must keep their focus aimed squarely on reducing the economic burdens placed on American families by reducing unnecessary regulations and taxes, not by passing new ones.

FreedomWorks will count the vote on the resolution on our 2018 Congressional Scorecard. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

Sincerely,
Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks