Some people support the idea of imposing taxes on fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) in order to reduce energy consumption. Others disagree with this approach. Consider the debate and its arguments, and come to your own conclusion.

Most people agree that the use of fossil fuels should be reduced to some extent.
However
, imposing taxes is a controversial tactic which appears to have a number of contradictory effects. We will consider both sides of the discussion in
this
essay. On the one hand, those who support taxation of fossil fuels, promote the idea that higher prices will lead to lower consumption and
thus
lower emissions. They point to evidence from countries
such
as Sweden, where
this
appears to be the case, and urge other nations to follow suit.
Furthermore
, proponents of
fuel
taxes claim that the funds raised can
then
be used to subsidise renewable
energy
projects
such
as solar and localised biofuel reactors. To the supporters of the idea, these benefits are convincing.
However
, opponents of
fuel
tax are able to cite evidence from other countries (including France and Italy) where higher tax has apparently not reduced demand for
such
fuels. In these cases, the effect has been to force people to pay more for the same volume of
energy
, which appears to penalise those who can least afford it.
Moreover
, critics of
fuel
tax
also
highlight the difficulty in governments promising renewable schemes without interfering in the entire
energy
market. If the state was to control the entire market for fuels, they say,
this
would force suppliers to leave the market,
thus
reducing competition and efficiency.
This
argument
also
appears to be quite powerful. To sum up, I would tend to side with the opponents of
fuel
taxation. It seems to be unreasonable to force vulnerable consumers to pay more for a commodity which is essential to them, without a real infrastructure for renewable
energy
being in place. It would be more logical to improve availability of renewable
first
, which would allow consumers to make a genuine choice.
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Answer the 'Advantages and Disadvantages' topic

IELTS advantages and disadvantages questions normally give you a statement and ask you to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of that statement.

Answer structure for the type of essay

  • Introduction
  • Body paragraph 1 – advantages
  • Body paragraph 2 – disadvantages
  • Conclusion

Examples to start your body paragraph:

  • The main advantage is...
  • The disadvantage of this...
  • The main benefit...
  • Despite these advantages...
  • One possible drawback...

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • mitigate
  • renewable energy
  • economic impact
  • regressive tax
  • alternative strategies
  • energy conservation
  • public transportation
  • green infrastructure
  • global cooperation
  • consistency
  • accountability
  • polluter pays principle
  • sustainable development
  • energy efficiency
  • fiscal policy
  • carbon footprint
  • environmental sustainability
  • energy policy
  • tax incentives
  • climate change
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