This would serve multiple purposes, of (a) weaning us from dependence on foreign oil and simultaneously depleting
terror - exporting countries of their revenue stream, (b) reducing other pollutants besides CO2, (c) encouraging a more gradual and less economically disastrous transition from an economony based on a finite resource, (d) slow
global warming, (e) move us in the direction of a VAT tax rather
than an income tax (actually, personally I don't think e is such a great thing, but as many conversative groups favor it, I don't see why they would oppose a revenue - neutral tax on fossil fuels.