Damned if you do, damned if you don't, there is no nice way out of our unsustainable lifestyles, we're all going to take a blow.
> What about all the other polluters? Shipping? Coal plants?
We have 4 coal plants in france and they're about to close. As far as I know most industries pay taxes for pollution (carbon tax, eco tax, &c.)
So, until we have a unified front for addressing climate change, that doesn't exclude a single source of pollution, we should sit on our hands?
The climate doesn't care where the pollution comes from. Any reduction is a win.
Right – tax them too, and distribute the revenue back to households. That way it's not a regressive tax, but a wealth transfer from heavy polluters to regular folks who are bearing the indirect costs of the climate crisis.
This tax will just go to cover deficit or to pay the exceptional privileges of the government employees including French railways which go on strike more often than not.
But surely, alienating the common people is the way to go...
"just", well france is the definition of a welfare state so if it "just" helps cover the deficit mostly caused by our social security system it's already quite good.
"Paying for the damage" is this some kind of joke? What about all the other polluters? Shipping? Coal plants?
Macron got the Yellow Jackets by hating on people that depend on cars to do their job, because wow, if you don't live in a place with public transport and already pay a substantial amount of tax in everything else and earn less than the people in the capital you should pay more right? You're the bad guys
Wow pat yourself in the back for not taking a straw and taxing those "big bad" travelers. Then wonder why your tax revenue goes down every year or people hate you.
"Oh but sleeper trains" yeah, also known for the constant robberies and lawlessness inside them.