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December 10, 2007
Contrast: Punish the 'extra' kids
Only in Western society can someone spend long years in obtaining an education and come out so mean and stupid
COUPLES who have more than two children should be charged a lifelong tax to offset their extra offspring's carbon dioxide emissions, a medical expert says.The report in an Australian medical journal called for parents to be charged $5000 a head for every child after their second, and an annual tax of up to $800.And couples who were sterilised would be eligible for carbon credits under the controversial proposal.
Perth specialist Professor Barry Walters was heavily critical of the $4000 baby bonus, saying that paying new parents extra for every baby fuelled more children, more emissions and "greenhouse-unfriendly behaviour".
Instead, it should be replaced with a "baby levy" in the form of a carbon tax in line with the "polluter pays" principle, he wrote in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.
The man is an obstetrician. I think his patients ought to be very wary.
Posted by Darleen at December 10, 2007 06:38 AM
Comments
The only people this will stop from breeding are the people who actually pay their bills.
Or, if you want to take it another direction - this is a tax that will directly impact whether a poor person can afford to have babies.
So I would think this would be objectionable on both sides.
Posted by: Alice H at December 10, 2007 10:24 AM
Meanwhile, Hillary wants to give $5,000 "baby bonds" to every newborn in the country.
Let's just do both and it'll be a wash. ;)
Posted by: Stephen R at December 13, 2007 09:54 AM
"And couples who were sterilised would be eligible for carbon credits under the controversial proposal."
I'm in favor multiplying by a factor of 100 the credits for those couples that sterilize themselves.
Posted by: HughS at December 13, 2007 05:39 PM