The United States has taken a strong stance against a carbon tax proposed by the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO). The “Net-Zero Framework” is described as a “new set of international regulations” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
If fuel intensity surpasses that of the framework, ships will “pay a price corresponding to the greenhouse gases they emit above certain thresholds,” the proposal explains.
Condemning the tax, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media, “This week, the UN is attempting to pass the first global carbon tax, which will increase energy, food, and fuel costs across the world. We will not allow the UN to tax American citizens and companies.”
He declared that under the leadership of the Trump administration, “The U.S. will be a hard NO. We call on other nations to stand alongside the United States in defense of our citizens and sovereignty.”
In a joint statement with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Rubio affirmed that the White House “unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists.”
The statement said the tax “poses significant risks to the global economy” and subjects member states to an “unsanctioned global tax regime that levies punitive and regressive financial penalties, which could be avoided.”
Similarly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) declared, “No taxation without representation,” noting that being taxed by the United Nations “would be far more offensive than the taxes imposed by Great Britain against the American colonies more than 250 years ago.”
