Initiative 732

Abstract

The article discusses the 2016 Washington Initiative 732, which proposed a carbon tax. The author argues that the initiative was a sensible proposal that would have shifted tax revenue from regressive and distortionary taxes to a carbon tax reflecting the social cost of carbon. However, the initiative was unpopular among climate activists in Washington because it included a revenue-neutral approach. The author concludes that by rejecting the initiative, climate activists missed an opportunity to make progress on climate legislation and demonstrated the prioritization of partisan interests over policy effectiveness – AI-generated abstract.