Adelaide, Australia, Dec 11, 2007 / 15:04 pm
An Australian professor of obstetrics has proposed both a $5,000 “baby levy” to be imposed on parents upon the birth of their children and an annual carbon tax of up to $800 per child, The Advertiser reports.
The professor’s scheme especially targets large families.
Barry Walters, a clinical associate professor of obstetric medicine at the University of Western Australia, outlined his proposals in Monday’s Medical Journal of Australia. Professor Walters said every couple with more than two children should be taxed to offset carbon emissions each child would generate over his or her lifetime.
"Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years, not simply by breathing but by the profligate consumption of resources typical of our society," he wrote.