Efforts to tax carbon in Washington State

Abstract

This paper explores the determinants of carbon taxation by focusing on recent efforts to tax carbon in Washington State. The paper identifies citizen demand, energy interests, and tax structure as possible factors in the emergence of carbon taxation. Washington has relatively high demand for climate action, and is unique with respect to its high reliance on indirect taxation and its low level of local fossil fuel interests. I argue this context, especially the high reliance on indirect taxation, makes taxation more appealing than other carbon pricing alternatives. I then test whether local tax structure shapes preferences for carbon taxation using county level opinion data. I find evidence that support for carbon taxation is higher in states with higher gasoline taxes, but no effect from sales and sin taxes. I conclude summarizing various accounts of each initiative’s failure, and highlight a few lessons from the efforts to tax carbon in Washington state.