Written on: March 10, 2017

Carbon Tax Coming to CT Unless Stopped by People

If you oppose this legislation, please click here to find and contact your CT State Representatives.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CARBON PRICE FOR FOSSIL FUELS SOLD IN CONNECTICUT

The Connecticut General Assembly’s Environment Committee has raised a bill that establishes a $15 fee per ton of carbon dioxide emitted when burning fossil fuels (i.e. gasoline, diesel, heating oil, natural gas, propane, etc.) and electricity beginning January 1, 2019.

Beginning January 1, 2020 and each year thereafter, the fee shall increase by not less than $5 per ton.

The funds collected from this fee will be spent as follows:

• 25% will be used for the purposes of climate resilience, energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy programs that benefit low-income residential properties and small business properties where there is a low level of participation in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs;
• 30% will be used to provide direct dividends to employers in the state;
• 40% will be used to provide direct dividends to residents in the state;
• 5% will be used to pay for administrative costs associated with collecting the fee.

This is a regressive tax and a sad attempt to buy off the public by paying a “dividend” to residents and employers in hopes of gaining support for it. No one can really believe that the money collected by this tax would go anywhere but to pay for the states $3 billion budget deficit!

How Much More $$$

Carbon taxes would significantly impact the cost of fossil fuels that CT residents use to heat their home and power their cars.

Below is a breakdown of what the tax would cost on a cent per gallon basis based on a US ton:

• Heating Oil – .1655 cpg
• Gasoline – .1327 cpg
• Propane – .0955 cpg

The legislation does not indicate if the $15 per ton fee is in US tons or metric tons – so these number are subject to change. A copy of the bill can be viewed here.