by C3 Solutions’ Drew Bond featured in Real Clear Energy.

When a government wants less of something, it increases taxes on that thing. That’s why cigarettes cost more than $13 per pack in New York City.

That principle makes sense, in a way. Governments are skilled at raising taxes. That’s how they get their funding and how they maintain their power. Sometimes the approach actually works. As we know, fewer people smoke now. That’s due, at least in part, to the fact that cigarettes are so much more expensive than they were decades ago.