Posted on 12/30/2009 10:23:40 AM PST by BP2
| France’s Constitutional Council has rejected a tax on carbon emissions strongly backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy that was to take effect Friday. But his ruling conservative party said the measure would be redrafted so it could be passed into law next year. The council ruled late Tuesday that the bill contained too many exemptions for polluters, broke with past practices and threatened to make tax collection unfair. The ruling is a blow to Mr. Sarkozy, who has sought to burnish his green credentials by holding international talks next year to seek agreement on emission cuts following the Copenhagen climate conference. Environmental groups have said they expect the talks to be held in Paris.
The tax was set at €17 for each ton of carbon dioxide.
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. |
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
| As Germany's Deutsche Welle reports: "Observers say the council's ruling is a severe blow to both Sarkozy's environmental plan and as France's budget for 2010. The government now has to find a way to come up with about 4.1 billion euros in revenue that was expected to be generated the tax."
Showing once again, this is NOT about saving those poor, starving polar bears, but about generating more tax dollars. |
A blow to Sarkozy.. awwwwwwwwwww
Is that a real 1 million Euro bank note?
You nailed it. The more they say they are trying to save people, the more misery they bring to everyone.
| The council ruled late Tuesday that the bill contained too many exemptions for polluters, broke with past practices and threatened to make tax collection unfair. A similar argument will likely be made by various state Attorneys General in the US to strike down ObamaCare ... if it even passes. |
Even a broken cloque...
I want to see the states rise up and tell them to stick it with Obamacare myself. If ever there was a time for the states to stand up the Federal government over something then this or cap and trade is it.
“Members of opposition Socialist party, many of whom said the tax would damage citizens’ purchasing power,...”
Sad state of affairs when the Socialist Party is sticking up for less taxation.
| Is that a real 1 million Euro bank note? Well, it's as real as Global Warming ...
"To commemorate this historic event, banknote designers at the Naples Bank Note Company have designed the limited edition ONE MILLION EURO!"
|
It’s all smoke & mirrors.
I understand their notes are printed using paper from the faggo tree.
Vive la France!
The United States Constitutional Council has a nice ring to it. Lets set it up as a watchdog to maintain the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.
Some of the first things to place in its in-basket:
Make sure proposed legislation does not unconstitutionally forcibly require US citizens to purchase any good or service.
Also, make sure proposed legislation does not treat citizens from one state differently from another.
Declare as unconstitutional any law that deprives any person, born or unborn, of life.
Look up founder George Mason's List Of Objections. He refused to sign at the Constitutional Convention, primarily because of the lack of a Bill of Rights, but not having a Constitutional Council was among his objections.
We have Mason to thank for the Amendments ratified that represent the Bill of Rights, coming almost immediately after the Constitution itself was ratified. It was modelled after the Virginia Declaration of Rights, penned by Mason. These Amendments were promised to the State of Virginia in order for them to ratify the Constitution.
Mason had some very scathing remarks about the "ten miles square" of the District of Columbia, too. He was absolutely correct and prescient. That would be another point of interest to search out.
From the last line of the story: The French carbon tax was envisaged as a means to nudge industry toward systemic change by pushing up the cost of using products and services based on fossil fuels.There's that word again ... nudge. Doesn't Obama's Information and Regulatory Affairs Czar, Cass Sunstein, like to use the word nudge, too?
|
I entered this thread to congratulate the French for getting this one right. Then is see the bill was struck down because it isn’t onerous enough.
Gag!
More Hopey-Changy in Paris...
| I entered this thread to congratulate the French for getting this one right. Then is see the bill was struck down because it isn’t onerous enough. 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. "Tax fairness" is a legitimate argument to stop the Greens, as well as ObamaCare. The plaintiff's went with what they saw would work within their Constitutional law, which is a great legal strategy to stop an over-reaching Executive Branch. Incidentally, France's three branches of government is similar to the US in this regard. Remember that Al Capone went to Alcatraz not because of murder, conspiracy or direct violation against 18th Amendment (Prohibition), but because of income tax evasion and various violations of the Volstead Act. |
Good to see some countries adhere to their Constitution.
I appreciate the comments seeking to clarify. There are other ways to look at things, and I think it’s reasoned to point out an alternate view.
This little tidbit, “The council ruled late Tuesday that the bill contained too many exemptions for polluters, broke with past practices and threatened to make tax collection unfair.” cause me to think the reason for the object wasn’t exactly what it was claimed to be.
The bill contained too many exemptions for polluters?
I’m still not convinced the taxation issue is what fostered the smack-down, but I do think it’s a reasonable alternative opinion.
Watch and see if this doesn’t turn into a tax nightmare next year. I suspect that’s the case, and deep down I think you probably agree.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
