That's the approximate increase in diesel fuel taxes that the International Monetary Fund recommended in a new book on the subject of carbon taxes released last week. In great summary, the IMF believes that energy prices across the globe are far below what they should be, mostly because the full "social costs" of using the fuels, such as global warming, health issues from the pollution, etc. are not reflected in the price. In fact, the IMF offers pretty detailed recommendations on the price of what the carbon tax should be on coal, natural gas, gasoline and diesel for a full 156 countries across the globe. “A charge should be levied on fossil fuels in proportion to their CO emissions multiplied by the global damage from those emissions,” the book argues. Interesting, just a few weeks after Australia voted to kill its unpopular carbon tax.

We're not quite sure how they calculated it, but that's the level of improved profit the six largest US automakers would have collectively earned in 2013 if they learned how to collaborate better within their suppliers, according to a new report from consulting firm Planning Perspectives. Certainly, it's no secret that relationships between US-based OEMs and their suppliers have often been contentious and focused heavily on price. The research does say Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler still lag well behind Japanese competitors such as Honda and Toyota in supplier relations. GM, for example, could have earned as much as $152 per vehicle and therefore put $400 million more to the bottom line from a more collaborative approach, the researchers estimate. Price versus total cost, the perennial challenge in procurement.