it is regarded as the all-purpose weapon in the fight against climate change: the CO2-tax. By submitting himself to fossil fuels would be used more expensive, thus it pays off to businesses and consumers a stronger alternative energy sources. In the United States have spoken out just 47 leading Economists from various ideological Camps for such a tax – including the former Federal reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

But what is the meaning of such a tax for the consumer, which, for example, must bear the higher fuel costs? The has now determined for the first time, a study of the Association of CO2-tax, in cooperation with the Institute of sociology of the University of Munich. You will be released on Thursday and was TIME ONLINE in advance. The result in short form: such A tax can be socially acceptable if it is designed correctly.

In the study, with a tax of 40 Euro per ton of CO2, in turn, the former state energy are deleted levies such as the electricity tax or the levy from the Renewable energy sources act. Overall, it is a sum of some 39 billion euros (as of 2017), which will be refinanced in order in this way – for the state of neutral volume.

> 61,57 euros a year for strong commuter

Specifically, for example, would be a One-person household with a net income of 9.458 euros in the year to 36 Euro relieved. The amount then declines with increasing income, but it remains up to earnings of 21.991 Euro in the year. Thus, the bottom 50 percent of income earners in Germany would have to spend below the line, less for energy than in the past.

First from an income 24.772 Euro a CO2-tax leads to more stress. This is, however, solely by the fact that with rising incomes, more is flown, and the previously tax-exempt air traffic would increase the price, without air traffic all income layers would be relieved. However, even taking into account the air travel, the pressures within limits. They amount to about 116 euros with an income of 58.509 Euro. “A climate-protection-oriented energy tax reform that makes the energy turnaround in comparison to the current state of social justice”, – stated in the study.

Expensive life can be for people who commute a lot. However, the additional costs are not according to the study, here, too, is very high. A family with two children, a household income of 4,500 to 5,500 per month and a fuel consumption of 1,240 litres per year (which corresponds to a mileage of about 10,000 km) will be charged to 61,57 euros a year. For such cases, the authors propose accompanying measures such as subsidies for switching to public transport or the creation of carpools.