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U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report
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U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report - Yahoo! News
Yahoo ^
U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report - Yahoo! News
U.S. carbon tax could halve deficit in 10 years: report Reuters 2 hrs 10 mins ago
WAHSINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Imposing a $20 per metric ton carbon tax in the U.S. could reduce the country's budget deficit by 50 percent over the next 10 years, a report by the Congressional Research Service said on Tuesday.
Such a tax would generate approximately $88 billion in 2012, rising to $144 billion by 2020, the report said, slashing U.S. debt by between 12 and 50 percent within a decade, depending on how high the deficit climbs
The U.S. budget deficit has exceeded $1 trillion annually in each fiscal year since 2009, and could rise to between $2.3 trillion and $10 trillion by 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Since deficits can lead to reduced savings, higher interest rates and higher levels of inflation, reducing them is a high-priority issue in Washington.
The concept of using a carbon tax to combat the problem has been floated in Congress this year, but it comes with many potential downsides, the report added.
For example, households would face higher energy bills because utilities forced to pay the tax would likely pass the costs onto consumers.