Political and social friction prevents the widespread implementation of carbon taxes
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 67/100
Political and social friction, public resistance to increased household costs, and lack of trust in government institutions frequently prevent or hinder the widespread implementation of carbon taxes.
Evidence for · 7
Political Economy Determinants of Carbon Pricing
2020 · cited by 71
Paper 0 establishes that public attitudes, governance, and fossil fuel consumption serve as key political economy barriers to implementing carbon pricing across jurisdictions.
Evidence against · 1
Majority support for global redistributive and climate policies.
2025 · cited by 2
Paper 7 documents strong majority support across several countries for global carbon pricing and redistributive climate policies when coupled with equal cash transfers.
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More for · 6
Trust in Government and Its Determinants: An Empirical Study of Public Acceptability for Carbon Tax in Malaysia
2022 · cited by 20
Paper 1 finds that public acceptability of carbon taxes is challenged by a lack of trust in government and concerns regarding tax revenue transparency and spending.
Decarbonizing the Cement Industry: Technological, Economic, and Policy Barriers to CO2 Mitigation Adoption
2025 · cited by 19
Paper 2 identifies social resistance, NIMBYism, and regulatory gaps as cross-cutting challenges that slow down decarbonization measures like carbon pricing.
Public support for carbon taxes varies across countries and policy design must consider the national context
2025 · cited by 7
Paper 4 highlights that while carbon taxes are effective, they remain generally unpopular due to explicit household costs and divergent national preferences.
Investigating the mechanisms linking revenue recycling to increased political acceptability of carbon pricing
2024 · cited by 7
Paper 5 notes that carbon taxes often face fierce political opposition and are perceived as punitive measures, requiring careful revenue recycling to overcome resistance.
Ideology from topic mixture statistics: inference method and example application to carbon tax public opinion
2024 · cited by 2
Paper 9 shows that political opposition to carbon taxes is driven by specific, aligned ideological and fiscal concerns among the public.
Green Taxes as a Catalyst for Net-Zero Emissions: Policy Design, Implementation Challenges, and Global Opportunities for Climate Action
2025 · cited by 1
Paper 10 demonstrates that green taxes face structural implementation hurdles, including government resistance, social inequality concerns, and political obstacles.