Should private car owners be taxed for pollution?

It was not until recently that the government was able to exact measures to cut carbon dioxide emissions, in which controlling the number of cars and advocating smaller vehicles have played an important role. Imposing a “pollution tax” on private cars, without doubt will have certain effect in pollution control, but only through a more refined and focused scheme can the policy have the power to realize the goal of significantly improving pollution issues.

The first thing to consider is the volume of vehicles that belong to the government itself. If the government is going to call for citizens to use public transportation rather than personal vehicles, the “pollution tax” imposed on state-owned vehicles (which are almost all for the personal use of officials) should be more severe than that on private vehicles. Only as the government creates an image of reducing pollution by constraining its volume of vehicles to the necessary extent will the public begin to reduce their use of vehicles, and also focus on environmental protection.

There is a further consideration: the tax should not only be levied against vehicles of certain sizes or engine types, simply because not everyone drives the same distances. In other words, the “pollution tax” would be enhanced through other taxes, like an “oil tax.” The introduction of a stronger combined tax portfolio could make tax payments more reasonable to the taxpayer when their individual interests are safeguarded.

It is certain that a “pollution tax” could contribute to environmental protection efforts; however, the tax would not have a strong enough effect unless a more comprehensive scheme of policies is adopted.