taxing SIGNIFICANT externalities....

almost everything that we do....  comes with externalities....  externalities....  are damage to the world in one way or another....  caused by actions that someone takes....  and...  we do NOT charge the person who causes the damage for the damage done....  most externalities are created by business....  but....  even an individual can create externalities....  if you take a shit in a park....  and....  nobody notices....  you end up getting away with it....  and....  someone has to pay someone else to clean it up....  and....  that person....  does NOT pay the cost of cleaning it up....  that is an externality....  

almost everything that we do....  affects the world in SOME way....  almost everything that we do....  changes the world in SOME way....  what you need to do....  is focus on the most damaging externalities....  and....  tax them....  only using the taxes....  to fix the damage caused by the externality....  and....  nothing else....

for example....  burning coal....  releases mercury....  that once was burried deep underground....  into the air....  into our water....  into the oceans....  into the fish....  into our lungs....  into our bodies....  and....  at the moment....  no one is cleaning it up....  and....  the coal company is NOT paying the cost of cleaning it up....  which....  will eventually have to be done....  releasing burried mercury is probably the MOST destructive externality at the moment....  for more on this....  refer to the upcoming chapter on....  the MERCURY tax.....