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Make carbon taxes feasible

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Despite the massive impacts the Philippines is bound to expect from climate change and global warming, our lawmakers are currently not inclined to pass any measure that will impose a carbon tax as it might make electricity more expensive.

Last month, the Department of Finance commenced a study on the viability of a carbon tax in a bid to both generate much-needed revenue and address environmental concerns. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said it could be one of the measures that the administration may consider “if feasible.”

However, House ways and means committee chair Rep. Joey Salceda said lawmakers in the lower chamber may likely be cold to the measure, as it could make electricity more expensive, especially with global prices of coal at $400 per metric ton.

“If I tax carbon tax, I’m taxing 55 percent of the source of energy in this country. And that is a violation because the Philippines has the right to affordable energy,” Salceda said at the sidelines of the Disaster and Climate Emergency Policy Forum last week.

However, he also acknowledged that it is not a responsible thing to do, given the impacts of climate change. Thus, there is a need to shift to renewable energy for cheaper energy prices. The country needs a surplus of renewable energy and this can be done by focusing on the renewable energy expansion program.

The government has been emphasizing the need to bring down the country’s dependence on energy imports by developing renewable energy and indigenous sources but, as our lawmakers’ inclination towards a carbon tax indicates, we remain grievously unprepared, even after several years of warnings and recommendations to accelerate that urgent shift.

A carbon tax that could generate much-needed revenue and address environmental concerns would be feasible if our country were more prepared for it by taking the shift to renewable energy and indigenous sources seriously, instead of simply paying lip service. Instead, for now, all we can do is continue paying lip service to the idea of our country making a contribution in the fight against global warming because of our continued dependence of fossil fuels.*

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