TH Reader Proposes "Tax the Bulb"

Treehugger reader Francis Irving pointed us to a cool new feature at the British Prime Minister's web site: citizens can create e-petitions, collect signatures, and then send them directly to Downing Street. Francis himself has already used the system to create a petition calling for a new tax on inefficient light bulbs. The text of the petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to levy a tax on energy inefficient light bulbs so that their long term financial and environmental cost is visible in their retail price.

In his comments, Francis compares the environmental costs of traditional incandescent bulbs, and the benefits of compact fluorescents (a subject with which we're familiar). We say if you can't ban them outright, a tax sounds like the next best step to push British consumers towards more efficient lighting (and it fits nicely with "Chelsea Tractor" and "pay as you throw" proposals). We don't know, though, if the Prime Minister can do this himself, or if it takes an act of Parliament. ::"Tax the Bulb" at E-Petitions

Image by PiccoloNamek at Wikipedia