A lawmaker is calling on the current administration to consider the implementation of a carbon tax on man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Camarines Sur Representative Lray Villafuerte said that imposing carbon tax on man-made polluters should be considered by the Duterte administration in the multi-year comprehensive tax program.
“A carbon tax would not only help us comply with our international commitments to help curb global warming; we can also use the proceeds from the tax to develop clean energy production processes for our industries and fund other environment-friendly initiatives,” Villafuerte told The Standard.
The lawmaker is currently working on a carbon tax bill which he plans to file in the congress. He is also measuring the pros and cons of such measures on developing countries like the Philippines.
“We are studying how we can implement a carbon tax gradually through several stages, without adversely affecting the government’s planned infrastructure buildup over the next six years, as well as the development of economic zones outside Metro Manila, which would, of course, require the use of fossil fuels that emit CO2,” Villafuerte said.
He said that the goal is to gain balance between environmental protections and sustain the country’s economic growth.
Earlier, Villafuerte urged the government to gain “happy balance” in the same factors in reviewing the country’s energy mix to come up with an energy plan that would help in the protection of the environment and assure energy security to support the rising economy.
