May 14, 2026

Is A Carbon Tax Really the "Free Market" Climate Answer? | TBNS 1081

A Republican lost his congressional seat over a carbon tax... came back 14 years later with the exact same pitch... and came onto my show to sell it to entrepreneurs and libertarians.

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Former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis joins Brian Nichols to make the "conservative" case for a carbon tax and why most Republican voters keep rejecting his free-market climate proposal. Inside, we dig into the Raise Wages Cut Carbon Act, the Milton Friedman defense of pricing pollution, and the border adjustment mechanism Inglis says could force China to follow America's lead on emissions.


We expose the structural cracks in the "revenue-neutral" carbon tax pitch... why the social cost of carbon swings from $42 to $190 depending on who's running Washington... and the uncomfortable fact that every country that's tried this policy has either repealed it, rioted over it, or rejected it at the ballot box.


Is this really the free-market answer to climate change... or just a federal Trojan horse dressed in Milton Friedman quotes? What happens when "revenue-neutral" becomes a moving target? And why are libertarians the ones cutting emissions while bureaucrats are still chasing the perfect tax rate?


Stick around for the 13:54 mark when I ask Bob to name ONE federal tax in American history that stayed revenue-neutral... the 25:00 moment when we lay out why this policy has failed everywhere it's been tried... and the 40:32 stretch where we expose the fact that US emissions dropped 20% in 15 years - without a carbon tax.


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CHAPTERS:

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 2:37 - The Trip To Antarctica That Cost Him His Seat
  • 10:33 - The $42 To $190 Carbon Tax Problem
  • 13:54 - Name ONE Tax That Stayed Revenue-Neutral?
  • 17:38 - The Hidden Government Growth Nobody Talks About
  • 25:00 - Why Do Carbon Taxes Keep Failing Everywhere?
  • 40:32 - We Cut Emissions 20% Without Them?
  • 46:46 - Where To Find Bob + republicEn


Bob Inglis / republicEn:

The Brian Nichols Show:

Studio Sponsor:

Mentioned In Episode:

  • The Raise Wages, Cut Carbon Act of 2009 - Bob Inglis legislation
  • Milton Friedman on Phil Donahue (1980s pollution tax clip) - available at republicEn.org
  • JFK Profile in Courage Award (2015 recipient: Bob Inglis)
  • Merchants of Doubt documentary - features Inglis

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