ENVIRONMENTAL TAXES AND UNITED-STATES COMPETITIVENESS

Economic recession and persistent U.S. federal budget deficits are weakening the ability of government to adequately address the deterioration of the physical and social infrastructure and the aggravation of urban problems. While tax policy ranks as the most sensitive public issue, the political debate bas dealt only with how much we tax, not what we tax. Repetto presents a prescription of shifting the tax burden from the economically productive activities of work, saving and investment to the unproductive activities of resource waste and pollution as a strategy for economic development and environmental protection - a strategy that supports the dual goal of reduced taxation and improved public services.