12 May 2008

A new emissions tax in Estonia

Estonian authorities are charging a flatulence tax on farmers to compensate the country for the methane gas produced by cows. Last week farmers received their first 'fart tax' demands asking them to pay for the greenhouse gases their cattle produce.

A single cow is thought to produce on average 350 litres of methane and 1,500 litres of carbon dioxide per day from flatulence and burping. It is thought that cattle are responsible for up to 25 per cent of methane gas emissions in Estonia. Opposition politicians have slammed the tax however. Jaanus Marrandi, spokesman for the opposition People's Union of Estonia said: "This is unprecedented in any EU country."


A government spokesman has assured the populace that there are no plans as yet to levy an emissions tax on people. However, Pasatas Kalneitis, a representative of the Baltic Vegan Federation said “we are deeply concerned that vegans will bear a disproportionate burden should there be an extension of the emissions tax to humans. After all our diet does, let us say, tend to be rather carminative”

15 comments:

beakerkin said...

This tax should be placed on egomaniacal politician types. Red Ken Livingstone would have been the poster boy for that type of flatulence.

I am surprised some dolt has not tried to figure out how to harness the methane.

Nunyaa said...

"A single cow is thought to produce on average 350 litres of methane and 1,500 litres of carbon dioxide per day from flatulence and burping."

This sounds like a description of Aussie men!

jams o donnell said...

Hmm Wait to you see Ken's scuccessor in action Beakerkin!

Or any of us men Nunyaa.. The not wife is always good at a rebuttal should I fart though

Liz Hinds said...

Is that the country with the loopy president who banned beards too?

Anonymous said...

This would be par for the course re CO2 alarmists. See more on the subject via my link 'Watts Up With That...'

jams o donnell said...

I think that was Turkmenistan Liz (I think!)

jams o donnell said...

Aileni I am sure this must be a spoof. My quote from the vegan society is. I made that up for fum. Pasatas is the Lithuanian for tradewinds. THe surname means from the mountains apparently!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

A "fart tax" - I love it!

jams o donnell said...

Hmm I will be paying over 97% of my income I fear!

Agnes said...

How can they measure it? I mean the carbon dioxide produced by a cow? Is the tax per cow or per ....greenhouse gas emission? And is the burping tax a separate one, or ...?

jams o donnell said...

I daresay someone stuck a pipe up the cow's arse and metered the outflow Red!

CastoCreations said...

Oy vey. Exactly why I fear for the U.S. where they want to go more towards the laws of European countries. Frightens me to no end. Fart tax indeed. Of all the ridiculous things.

jams o donnell said...

I get the feeling it must be a spoof cato. Still it is pretty funny, If true it is pretty daft!

SnoopyTheGoon said...

I submit that vegans should be taxed first!

jams o donnell said...

Ha Snoopy, I am sure the not-wife would not appreciate a surcharge for her flatulence!