Pigou Club

The Pigou Club is described as "an elite group of economists and pundits who have publicly advocated higher Pigovian taxes, such as gasoline taxes or carbon taxes." [cite web | last = Mankiw | first = Greg | title = Al Gore in the Pigou Club | date = June 24, 2006
url = http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/06/al-gore-in-pigou-club.html] A Pigovian tax (also spelled Pigouvian tax) is a tax levied to correct the negative externalities (negative side-effects) of a market activity. Typically these pundits and economists also advocate lowering other taxes, such as the income tax or the corporate tax. These ideas are also known as an Ecotax or green tax shift.

The Pigou Club was founded by economist N. Gregory Mankiw.

In addition, the periodical The Economist has repeatedly expressed support for Pigouvian policies (cf. January 2007 cover story, which states "This paper has repeatedly expressed support for a carbon tax.").

The group received a great deal of publicity when "The New York Times" published " [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/business/yourmoney/08view.html?ei=5090&en=3a749625ac447e79&ex=1317960000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1160746887-1x+hGk+DvqVPOYWxke5k3 Raise the Gasoline Tax? Funny, It Doesn’t Sound Republican] " on October 8, 2006. The backlash came soon after, as the "National Post", a Canadian right-of-center newspaper, started the [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/features/nopigouclub/index.html Nopigou Club] .

References

External links

* [http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/10/pigou-club-manifesto.html The Pigou Club Manifesto (Greg Mankiw's Blog)]
* [http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/09/rogoff-joins-pigou-club.html Rogoff joins the Pigou Club (Greg Mankiw's Blog)]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/business/yourmoney/08view.html?ei=5090&en=3a749625ac447e79&ex=1317960000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1160746887-1x+hGk+DvqVPOYWxke5k3 Raise the Gasoline Tax? Funny, It Doesn’t Sound Republican (New York Times)]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701327.html Talk of Raising Gas Tax Is Just That (Washington Post)]
* [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/features/nopigouclub/index.html The Nopigou Club (National Post)]
* [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/features/nopigouclub/story.html?id=266d2b82-d3d6-49bb-ac82-2f7e8c6aad9a&k=4073 How Many Taxes Will it Take? (National Post)]
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* [http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSL1254236520070712?feedType=RSS&sp=true "Fat tax" could save 3,200 lives each year (Reuters) ]
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