Durning Environmental Tax Crusader Interviewed by Jim Motavalli Alan Thein Durning thinks that a national tax shift would encourage non-polluting alternative transportation, like the bicycle he often rides to work at Northwest Environment Watch. It's a message that hasn't yet gotten through to Congress, but is finally being heard on the local level and in state legislatures. Durning says tax shifting may be a long haul, but it's well worth the fight.
Some people see tax shifting as an inherently radical notion.
The shift to tax pollution instead of pay checks would be a profound step towards reconciling the economy with the environment. It would put the power of the pocketbook and the power of the bottom line behind all the different agendas of the conservation movement. It is true that the federal income tax was originally only on the very highest-income families. Only during World War II was it extended down to most middle-income families. It is entirely possible during a tax shift that we could raise the bar up again, so that it really only affects the top half of the income spectrum.