Complete Personal and Household Costs of a National Carbon Tax
It was pointed out to me that just considering personal transportation and household energy left out coverage of all non-personal equivalent CO2 emissions in our economy. It is direct to calculate the per capital carbon emissions, and the full taxes that would be imposed on them.
The total CO2 emissions in the US in 2015 were 6,587 million metric tons, or multiplying by 1.1, 7,250 million US tons. The US population is 325 million people. Dividing these gives 22.3 tons of CO2 per capita.
For a single person, total carbon taxes of $12.50/ton, $25/ton, and $50/ton would average $279, $558, or $1,115, respectively. This is paid directly in the costs of gasoline plus utilities, and indirectly through the costs of goods.
A typical household of three gives 66.9 tons of CO2. For carbon taxes of $12.50/ton, $25/ton, or $50/ton, the typical household would be paying $838, $1,675, or $3,350 a year. This is triple what we have calculated in the last post of the California household, just considering their personal transportation and utility expenses. These added taxes would be embedded in the cost of the goods which they purchased or consumed.
