The UK's Taxpayer Alliance (TA) has released a report calling for a stop to future green taxes, while accusing the government of exploiting climate change fears to justify tax hikes.

Citing their own analysis of what they consider to be green taxes, the TA alleges that the average UK household pays £400 extra each year because green taxes were set too high - despite the fact that the country is one of the few in the world on pace to meet its targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the UK economy has enjoyed consistent long term growth.

So where does the real problem lie?

Bear in mind that taxpayer organizations have a peculiar but easily salable mission, namely to campaign for lower taxes. All of their recommendations go towards this one goal, with the assumption that it will translate into a better society and happier, healthier citizens. Anyone with a first year education in economics can tell you this assumption doesn't hold. More relevant here is that their report doesn't address reducing carbon (the real goal of climate change policy), but rather it analyzes something called "the social cost of carbon".

I have no idea what the social cost of carbon is, nor who is paying this (to whom) on behalf of co2. Climate change policy is about REDUCING CARBON. Costing of carbon is only a tactic in attaining this goal. The only true measure of climate change policy is whether or not it is in fact reducing greenhouse gases, in the amount needed, and in the most cost efficient way. That's not what this report is about.

Like most "taxpayer rights" rackets, the pencil pushers at the TA do a fine job playing games with numbers while managing to miss the point entirely. The UK is leading the developed world in revolutionizing the economy and tackling the greatest challenge of our day. Let's keep it that way.