July 19, 2018
The MacIver Institute joined a coalition of 41 conservative groups to oppose carbon taxes. In a letter to Congress, coalition members expressed their support for a congressional resolution that highlights the detrimental effects of carbon taxes on the American economy.
The text of the letter follows.
Dear Members of Congress:
The undersigned organizations urge you to vote for H.Con.Res 119, introduced by Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Congressman David McKinley (R-W.V.), which expresses the sense of the Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the U.S. economy.
We oppose any carbon tax. We oppose a carbon tax because it would lead to less income and fewer jobs for American families.
For example, a 2014 Heritage Foundation report found that a $37 per ton carbon tax would lead to a loss of more than $2.5 trillion in aggregate gross domestic product by 2030. That is more than $21,000 in income loss per family.
In addition, a carbon tax would cost over 500,000 jobs in manufacturing and more than one million jobs by 2030. According to a 2013 CBO report, a carbon tax is highly regressive.
After President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law on December 22, 2017, more than 90 percent of wage earners have had higher take-home pay.
At least 600 companies of all sizes have already announced special bonuses, pay raises, 401(k) match increases, tuition assistance, new training programs and other benefits for workers.
Thanks to the GOP tax cuts, utility companies are lowering rates, which means lower bills for consumers.
A carbon tax would reverse many of these successes.
We support the House Concurrent Resolution in opposition to a job-killing carbon tax and urge members to vote for this resolution.
Sincerely,
Grover Norquist
President, Americans for Tax Reform
Brent Wm. Gardner
Chief Government Affairs Officer, Americans for Prosperity
David McIntosh
President, Club for Growth
Kent Lassman
President, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Daniel J. Erspamer
CEO, Pelican Institute for Public Policy
Phil Kerpen
President, American Commitment
Matt Schlapp
Chairman, American Conservative Union
Tom Pyle
President, American Energy Alliance
Lisa B. Nelson
CEO, ALEC Action
Jason Pye
Vice President of Legislative Affairs, FreedomWorks
Norm Singleton
President, Campaign for Liberty
Andrew F. Quinlan
President, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Jeffrey Mazzella
President, Center for Individual Freedom
Olivia Grady
Senior Fellow, Center for Worker Freedom
Matthew Kandrach
President, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy
Thomas Schatz
President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Katie McAuliffe
Executive Director, Digital Liberty
Craig Richardson
President, Energy & Environmental Legal Institute
Alex Ayers
Executive Director, Family Business for Affordable Energy
Matt Kiibbe
President, Free the People
Annette Meeks
CEO, Freedom Foundation of Minnesota
George Landrith
President, Frontiers of Freedom
Tim Huelskamp PhD
President and CEO, The Heartland Institute
Mario H. Lopez
President, Hispanic Leadership Fund
Amy Oliver Cooke
Executive Vice President, Independence Institute
Carrie L. Lukas
President, Independent Women’s Forum
Heather R. Higgins
CEO, Independent Women’s Voice
Sal J. Nuzzo
Vice President of Policy, The James Madison Institute
Becki Gray
Senior Vice President, John Locke Foundation
Seton Motley
President, Less Government
Matthew Gagnon
Chief Executive Officer, Maine Heritage Policy Center
Brett Healy
President, The MacIver Institute for Public Policy
Lorenzo Montanari
Executive Director, Property Rights Aliance
Mike Stenhouse
CEO, Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Paul Gessing
President, Rio Grande Foundation
David Williams
President, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
James L. Martin, Founder/Chairman
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis, President
60 Plus Association
Judson Phillips
Founder, Tea Party Nation
Michael W. Thompson
President, Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy
Amy Kremer
Co-Chair, Women for Trump
Becky Norton Dunlop
Former Secretary of Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
Read the letter here.