Carbon Tax - Redistributing the Wealth

I tried out a carbon calculator (www.carbonfootprint.com). I produce about 8 tons of CO2, whereas the typical American produces 20 tons.

(This website had me using around 10 tons: http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/ - There are all sorts of calculators, some don't take into account factors like how little flying I do, or my vegan diet.)

(I live in a rented house that could really use weather proofing. Also we need to do a better job on our electricity usage. And I fly home once a year.)

So if the government taxed carbon at $50/ton and wanted to be revenue neutral, they should be giving me a tax credit of around $1000 - of which $400 would go to increased prices, and I'd get to pocket $600.

If the carbon tax was $100/ton, my eco-friendly lifestyle could make me $1200!

The BC provincial government is gradually implementing a $30/ton tax (the first state/provincial government in Canada or the US to do so). Unfortunately they aren't giving enough tax credits to low-income people.

Any revenue-neutral carbon tax will likely provide a larger offsetting tax cut to upper-middle class, as they use more carbon (and because getting fair tax cuts for low income people is hard due to a lack of democracy).

Also, a $100/ton tax would cause people to cutback and narrow the gap between my CO2 production and the average (I'd cutback too, but other people would have more to cut).

But I suspect I still stand to make a good bit of money if a carbon tax is finally enacted!