Post-Growth Economies are characterized by stopping economic growth or even shrinking an existing one. Here, I try to build a program that a potential political party could incorporate or build upon.
Here are various recommendations:
- Cancellation of subsidies and tax advantages for diesel and petrol.
- Maximum working hours limited to 30 per week with exceptions.
- Maximum income per household or person.
- Maximum wealth per household or person.
- Public canteens are required to only serve vegetarian or vegan meals or, at the very least, have mandatory vegan/vegetarian days.
- Drugs should be completely legalized and mostly produced by federal bodies within the country (shorter delivery lanes result in less CO²).
- Product warranties must last at least 5 years.
- The possession of SUVs is illegal unless needed for work.
- Cancellation of fracking.
- Cancellation of all subsidies for meat, fish, and dairy products.
- Complete monetary CO² compensation for flights is mandatory.
- Fission power is a bridge technology until fusion power is available.
- Fusion power should receive more funding.
- Increased energy taxation.
- Largely unmanning the military force (drones are very fuel-efficient).
- Ban on high-frequency trading.
- Pressuring countries with large CO² excesses to reduce their emissions.
- 5% of the GDP dedicated to CO² reduction and ecosystem protection.
- Tax-free home modernization to reduce heating costs.
- Severe penalties for speeding, tied to personal income.
- Doubling the number of national holidays.
- Holidays falling on weekends should be moved to the next working day.
- Maximum of one gun per person.
- Fat tax for products containing more than 50% fat.
- Sugar tax for products containing more than 10% sugar.
- Speed limit of 80 mph.
- Botany, should be mandatory in schools.
- Overhaul
of the education system. Climate change, ecosystems and sustainability
need to be incorporated. Education on Religions is limited to scientific
facts and only a small part of political education.
- Ban on web cookies.
- Ban on push notifications (web).
- Ban on online tracking.
- Products must be 100% recyclable with exceptions.
- 50% tax increase on alcohol and tobacco.
- Ban on electric chairs.
- The death penalty if applied must be CO² neutral.
- Death penalty for certain crimes like mass murder, genocide etc.
- Organic products should be tax-free.
- A BMI of over 35 leads to a personal tax increase.
- Ban on fireworks.
- Car taxation is based on the power required to drive 100 km. The higher the value, the higher the tax.
- Car sharing results in lower overall taxes for your car.
- Caring for your parents is subsidized by the state.
- Lower taxes for people without a motorized vehicle.
- 5% of the national land area needs to stay protected.
- The more people in a household, the lower the individual taxation.
- Replace welfare systems with universal income.
- 50% inheritance tax for amounts over $1,000,000.
- Zoos aren’t allowed to keep certain species (e.g., polar bears in warm regions, SeaWorld).
- Tax exemption of $10,000 per year.
- Public transportation must be CO² neutral and free.
- Companies making more than 0.5% of the national GDP must be split up.
- Every federal or state politician must disclose their income to the public.
- Patents and copyrights expire 10 years after the creator's death.
- Shutdown programs for air pollution situations (e.g., driving restrictions in highly polluted cities).
- Granting asylum for refugees caused by climate change is mandatory.
- Legalization of medically assisted suicide.
- Tax exemption for people without children.
- Abortion is legal and free until at least the second month of pregnancy.
- Public buildings must be equipped with solar collectors.
- Public healthcare costs are tied to personal income without exceptions.
- Strong shift towards using tax money for rail instead of roads.
To be continued...
Edit: amongst other things 0.1% of GDP spending for the military isn´t appropriate anymore and probably never was but thanks to Putin 2-4% of GDP spending on the military seems very reasonable and with dictators like Xi Jinping the future looks even more bleak. The sad reality is, that we won´t be able to care for our future if we are dead or living in a dictatorship.
