Opinion & Commentary

Aug. 11 Letters: Tax refund debit cards, climate change

Secret windfall?

In response to Richard E. Hawley's letter about tax refund cards, he questions how the state can save money by issuing debit cards instead of checks and asks "why does our government do this?" In my opinion, they do it because they want you to use the debit cards like a gift card to make purchases.


When the balance on the card gets down to a few dollars, they hope you put it aside and forget about it since there are only a few dollars left. If thousands of people were to do this you can see how the "savings" add up!

William J. McCabe


Newport News

Despite the fact that the cap-and-trade bill failed to gain support from most Americans, carbon tax supporters like Alan Sturgis ("Climate for change," Aug. 7) are now pushing for the tax under a new name, carbon fees and dividends.

Don't let the name fool you. Their hope is people will focus on the "dividend" without realizing the "fees" will result in significantly higher prices for fuel, food (especially meat, which global warming alarmists believe is as dangerous as fossil fuels), imports from countries without a similar climate program and carbon fees, and most other goods and services.

The Climate Protection Act of 2013 is not revenue neutral. Only 60 percent of the revenue collected from carbon producers is refunded to every legal U.S. resident. The remaining 40 percent would be used to subsidize more green energy programs, and paying down the national debt. Producers will pass the majority of the carbon fees and administrative costs onto consumers, so any "dividends" paid, in most cases, will only partially make up for higher prices.

Joe Naneville