{"id":115379,"date":"2009-12-30T12:31:05","date_gmt":"2009-12-30T17:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nw0.eu\/2009\/12\/30\/french-revolution-carbon-tax-ruled-unconstitutional-just-two-days-before-taking-effect.html"},"modified":"2009-12-30T12:31:05","modified_gmt":"2009-12-30T17:31:05","slug":"french-revolution-carbon-tax-ruled-unconstitutional-just-two-days-before-taking-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/115379","title":{"rendered":"French Revolution! Carbon tax ruled unconstitutional just two days before taking effect"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Watts Up With That?<\/a>
\nWednesday, Dec 30th, 2009<\/p>\n

This new French carbon tax was scheduled to go into law on Jan1,
\n2010. The tax was steep: 14 euros per ton of carbon dioxide (USD
\n$20).  In a stunning move, and surely a blow to warmists
\neverywhere, the tax has been found unconstitutional and thrown out.
\nOriginally found here<\/strong><\/a> (Google Translation).<\/p>\n

Lord Monckton was kind enough to assist me in deciphering the meaning of the ruling and writes:<\/p>\n

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In France, if at least 60 Deputies of the House and
\n60 Senators appeal to the Constitutional Council, it has the power to
\npronounce on the constitutionality of a proposed law \u2013 in the
\npresent case, the 2010 national budget of France, which contained
\nenabling provisions (<\/em>loi deferee<\/em>) for a carbon levy. The
\nCouncil found that these enabling provisions were unconstitutional on
\ntwo grounds: that the exemptions contained within the provisions for a
\ncarbon levy vitiated the primary declared purpose of the levy, to
\ncombat carbon emissions and hence \u201cglobal warming\u201d; and
\nthat the exemptions would cause the levy to fall disproportionately on
\ngasoline and heating oils and not on other carbon emissions, thereby
\nbreaching the principle that taxation should be evenly and fairly borne.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Press release from the French Constitutional Council is here in English<\/strong><\/a> (Google Translated) and in original French<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a Deustch-Welle news article on the reversal.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"Smoke<\/a> <\/div>\n
Gro\u00dfansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The council said the tax had too many exemptions<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

France\u2019s Constitutional Council says the
\ncountry\u2019s proposed carbon tax is illegal. This is a severe blow
\nto French President Nicolas Sarkozy\u2019s plans to fight climate
\nchange.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

France\u2019s Constitutional Council has struck down a carbon tax
\nthat was planned to take effect on January 1st. The council, which
\nensures the constitutionality of French legislation, said too many
\npolluters were exempted in the measure and the tax burden was not
\nfairly distributed.<\/p>\n

It was estimated that 93 percent of industrial emissions outside of
\nfuel use, including the emissions of more than 1,000 of
\nFrance\u2019s top polluting industrial sites, would be exempt
\nfrom the tax, which would have charged 17 euros per ton of emitted
\ncarbon dioxide.<\/p>\n

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has argued the tax is necessary to
\ncombat climate change and reduce the country\u2019s dependence on oil.<\/p>\n

However, the council\u2019s ruling is a severe blow to both
\nSarkozy\u2019s environmental plan as well as France\u2019s budget for
\n2010. The government now has to find a way to come up with about 4.1
\nbillion euros in revenue that was expected from the tax.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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