Oct. 20: Policy makers, economist to debate carbon tax
By Sue McMurray, Carson College of Business
PULLMAN and SPOKANE, Wash. – Panelists representing divergent views of the proposed Washington Carbon Tax referendum I-732 will make brief presentations and engage in a discussion 2-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in the CUB Auditorium at Washington State University.
The panel also will present this free, public talk at 7 p.m., at the Walgreens Auditorium (PBS 101) at WSU Spokane, 205 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane.
Panelists will be Yoram Bauman, economist and founder of Yes on I-732, Sen. Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) and Jeff Johnson, president of the Washington State Labor Council.
I-732 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Initiative_732) is a voter initiative to the Washington State Legislature that will appear on the November 2016 ballot. The measure would place a carbon emission tax on the sale or use of certain fossil fuels and fossil fuel-generated electricity.
Initially set at $15 per ton, the tax would rise to $25 per ton after six months and increase annually to a cap of $100 per ton. The initiative proposes to reduce the sales tax rate by one percentage point over two years, increase a low-income sales tax exemption and reduce certain manufacturing taxes.
The discussions are sponsored by WSU’s Howard D. and B. Phyllis Hoops Institute of Taxation Research and Policy (https://business.wsu.edu/research-faculty/institutes/hoops-institute/) and Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service (https://foley.wsu.edu/).
Contacts:
Jeff Gramlich, WSU Hoops Tax Institute, 509-335-5358, jeff.gramlich@wsu.edu
Richard Elgar, WSU Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, 509-335-3477, relgar@wsu.edu
