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

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Most people agree that the use of fossil fuels should be reduced to some extent.
Although
, imposing taxes is a controversial tactic which appears to have a number of contradictory effects. We will consider a debate 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 so lower emissions. They point to evidence from countries, namely Sweden, where it appears to be the case, and urge other nations to follow suit.
In addition
to, proponents of fuel taxes claim that the funds raised can afterwards used to subsidise renewable energy projects
for example
, solar and localised biofuel reactors. To the supporters of the idea, these benefits are convincing.
Although
, opponents of gas tax are able to cite evidence from other countries (including France and Italy) where higher tax has apparently not reduced demand for fuels. In these cases, the effect has been to force people to pay more for the same volume of power, which appears to penalise those who can least afford it.
Furthermore
, critics of fuel tax
also
highlight the difficulty in governments promising renewable schemes without interfering in the entire strength market. If the state was to control the entire market for fuels, they say, it would force suppliers to leave the market, which led to reduced competition and efficiency. The opposing argument appears to be quite powerful. To conclude, 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.
To begin
with, it would be more logical to improve availability of renewable, which would allow consumers to make a genuine choice.
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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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