User:Willem.Adrianus/An efficient way to create sustainable development

What I want to add to the sustainable Article
One of the ways proposed to implement sustainable development is the use of tax incentives.

Wim Adrianus Debruyn proposed already in 2001 a system that automatically leads to sustainable development based on three premises:
 * The ability to deduct green costs of living from taxable income motivates and empowers consumers
 * When deducting their green costs of living, consumers justify why particular products ensure sustainable development
 * The demand of the consumer for the nature of those products will oblige producers to report to the state to what extent, by which means, tools, techniques, materials, services and with which energy they achieve production processes that maintain the integrity of Nature

According to Debruyn : "Once the consumer has a legal right to deduct green costs of living from taxable income, billions of income tax paying consumers will demand products with which they can maintain a way of living in harmony with Nature. They will thus adopt ways of living that keep Nature sound. Producers will have to satisfy their demand by greening the costs of production. The economy can then progress and develop furthermore, whilst producers care for the quality and state of Nature. Producers will thereby research for products, tools and techniques, which will allow them to increase the percentage of products that ensure sustainable development."

the text of my article
An efficient way to create sustainable development

Proposal to change the law so that consumers can deduct from their taxable income the money they spend on goods and services that ensure sustainable development

Having studied environmental science and carried out years of scientific research on ecological crises, we made several discoveries that allow us to present our proposal for what we hold as a viable solution for mankind to live in harmony with Nature.

The ability to deduct green costs of living from taxable income motivates and empowers consumers to account for the quality of their ways of living in a gainful way. They pay less and less taxes, while they report the improvements in the environmental qualities of their ways of living.

When deducting their green costs of living, consumers have to justify why particular products ensure sustainable development.

The demand of the consumer for the nature of those products will oblige producers to report to the state to what extent, by which means, tools, techniques, materials, services and with which energy they achieve production processes that maintain the integrity of Nature. Granting the ability to deduct green costs of living from taxable income will allow to analyse the two components of the socio-economic power as separate powers. The economic power of expense of the consumer will be interpenetrated in a harmonious equilibrium with the social power of income of the producer. The economic power of expense gives an ethical sense to development while the social power of income shapes society.

It will be out of financial and personal interests that the consumer will account for his green costs of living, while deducting them from his taxable income. Financial and personal interests are two powerful drives in human behaviour. Out of personal interest the consumer will want to acquire products with which he can live in harmony with Nature. Out of self-interest the consumer will sustain development with his ways of living in an ethical way.

The ability to deduct green costs of living from taxable income emerged during our research as a crucial practise in the science of economy after discovering what is the goal of the development of the economy.

The goal of development is the goal with which consumers spend their income.

When their green costs of living are tax deductible, consumers are interested to spend their income only on goods and services the purchase price of which they can deduct from their taxable income. To live in harmony with Nature is then the goal they pursue while spending their income. To sustain such ways of living will be the goal of producers. Sustainable ways of living will be the goal of development.

The discovery that the goal consumers pursue is the goal of development validates questioning the goal with which consumers spend their income in the present economy. The only answer is at present: to consume more. The macro economic policy of maintaining growth in development appears to sustain such a goal.

Or, it is not possible to continue consuming more of limited resources without eventually depleting them.

Mankind has been increasing its consumption of the limited natural resources ever since commerce began and, in particular, since the beginning of the industrial revolution. As a consequence, the economy is now reaching the shores of Nature in many countries. The economic crises are sustained by stagnating commercial activities in economies hampered in their development by the limits of Nature. Environmental impacts of consuming more are being listed in reports on the worsening state of the environment.

Moreover, the industrialised countries are more efficient in increasing their consumption of the common reserves than the rest of the world. That is why the poverty of the people living in the latter keeps on increasing. As long as the goal of more than six and a half billion consumers remains to consume more, poverty will continue to increase.

A different future

Once the consumer has a legal right to deduct green costs of living from taxable income, billions of income tax paying consumers will demand products with which they can maintain a way of living in harmony with Nature. They will thus adopt ways of living that keep Nature sound. Producers will have to satisfy their demand by greening the costs of production.

The economy can then progress and develop furthermore, whilst producers care for the quality and state of Nature. Producers will thereby research for products, tools and techniques, which will allow them to increase the percentage of products that ensure sustainable development.

The demand for funds necessary to finance this research will pull the financial world out of its doldrums.

According to the principle of efficiency of the economy - another discovery we made - when the green costs of living are tax deductible, the efficiency of utilising natural resources will drastically increase. At an optimum efficiency with which natural resources are utilised in the ways of living of billions of consumers, enough goods and services could be produced, so that everyone could enjoy compatible levels of well-being. People who share satisfaction live in peace.

With the demand for new ways of living, the economy will pick up speed, more will be produced, more income will be earned from sales and more taxes will be paid on profits. The increase in taxes paid by producers will offset the reduction in taxes paid by consumers. In addition, the total amount of taxes paid by consumers is far less than the costs of damaging the environment by the development of the present economy. No public funds will be needed any more to protect Nature. Consumers and producers will maintain the integrity of Nature as their working and vital capital. More public funds could become available if producers continue to pay the same taxes as they currently do.

By developing and applying management tools, techniques and models with which the green costs of living and the green costs of production data can be administrated, controlled and thus managed, the economy will eventually meander within the natural boundaries of a lush Nature. The practise of accounting for the costs of living allows directing the development of the economy towards giving sense to it.

The accounting of the costs of living is clearly a required practise in the very young science of economy. This postulate is substantiated by our theory presented in “Theoretical base of the proposed accounting ability” at www.biosustainable.org.

Brussels, 21 July 2009   	Willem Adrianus de Bruijn