San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has announced that in November 2008 he will submit a carbon tax to voters for their approval. If it passes, it would be only the second such carbon tax in a U.S. city, the first was Boulder, Colo., last year. The draft plan would raise utility taxes for businesses but would be roughly balanced out by a small decrease in payroll taxes. The plan also aims to reward businesses that get their employees to take public transportation or otherwise eschew personal cars.
