Show Everybody's Cooperation Is Needed Taxation to any purpose except raising money for the government is seldom a good goad idea and it would seem exceptionally ill advised ill to tax industrial plants on their air and water emissions At first whiff the idea of a pollution tax smells good But when all of the ilia implications are considered it just smells It seems to be based on the belief that adequate regulation would require too many which would make it too expensive A pollution tax they say would give companies an economic incentive to control control con con- trot pollution Actually a pollution tax would be one ono of the most complicated complicated complicated com com- taxes ever adopted even more mare complicated than the income tax and it would direct money away from pollution control Also if a company is complying with pollution control regulations it shouldn't have to pay an extra tax if it isn't complying it shouldn't be excused ina ina in ina a tax payment Another idea sometimes suggested is to bar al all industrial industrial indus trial water waste from city sewage treatment systems The truth is that much industrial waste is readily treatable treatable treatable treat treat- able in a municipal treatment plant The best way to end pollution is by reasonable but firm regulation and a joint industrial municipal industrial municipal approach to handling these problems on an area or regional basis Joint solutions can achieve savings for far all of us both bath as taxpayer and as consumers |