Dec
Sacré Bleu! France rules Carbon tax unconstitutional just two days before taking effect
In a blow to man-made global warming believers (and man-made global warming agnostic profiteers) everywhere, France has just ruled the carbon tax about to begin on January 1, 2010 in France as unconstitutional. At 17 euros per ton of carbon dioxide, that’s a lot of jobs saved or created by the French court. (America’s Dear Leader, please pay attention.)
We learn the details from WattsUpWithThat.com, where Lord Monckton (he’s kind of like Superman isn’t he? showing up whereever we need him) assisted them in deciphering the meaning of the ruling (English translation of press release here):
In France, if at least 60 Deputies of the House and 60 Senators appeal to the Constitutional Council, it has the power to pronounce on the constitutionality of a proposed law – in the present case, the 2010 national budget of France, which contained enabling provisions (loi deferee) for a carbon levy. The Council found that these enabling provisions were unconstitutional on two grounds: that the exemptions contained within the provisions for a carbon levy vitiated the primary declared purpose of the levy, to combat carbon emissions and hence “global warming”; and that the exemptions would cause the levy to fall disproportionately on gasoline and heating oils and not on other carbon emissions, thereby breaching the principle that taxation should be evenly and fairly borne.
The New York Times now has a piece on the story. Here are some of the highlights:
The [French Constitutional] council ruled late Tuesday that the bill contained too many exemptions for polluters, broke with past practices and threatened to make tax collection unfair.
Members of opposition Socialist party, many of whom said the tax would damage citizens’ purchasing power, said the defeat was personal one for Mr. Sarkozy because he had cultivated an image of aggressively on fighting emissions on the international stage but was unable to put in place workable policies at home.
Members of the French Green party said the defeat would force the government to come forward with a bill that would be more effective in helping to curb France’s contribution to global warming.
A number of Scandinavian countries already have similar taxes, which raise the cost of fuel for motorists and for household heating.
But in its ruling, the French council said the tax was flawed because it would have primarily raised the cost of fuel for vehicles and heating even though there are many other sources of emissions.
Sometimes the French know what they are doing. Hell, they have the highest percentage of energy derived by nuclear power of any country in the world.
I have lived in France for the past five years. The french are on the whole very conservative socialists, they want their cake and eat it at the same time, and do an extraordinary job of this to almost perfection. They revere and are very proud of their farming peasant ancestry and will support their people on most occasions. The political elite sometimes forget this and they are then pulled up sharply when the masses demonstrate en mass as family contingents. Woe betide that elite if they do not listen.