"No nation has ever pulled itself out of poverty under the conditions that Washington currently imposes on underdeveloped countries," he says.
The government currently imposes a tax of 128 euros for each ton of carbon dioxide, although industries that are exposed to international competition are permitted to pay the tax at a lower rate.
There is another striking difference between the fleets in the United States and Europe, which currently imposes mileage standards as high if not higher than anything proposed in this country.
That the government's flagship idea for mending family breakdown is to tinker with the benefits system, which currently imposes what Mr Cameron calls a "couples penalty", is a sign of how few policy levers ministers have, apart from money.
One of the reforms Mr Immelt thinks would help create jobs in America, not least by attracting more foreign direct investment, would be to overhaul its corporate-tax system, which currently imposes one of the world's highest marginal rates on company profits.
China currently imposes import tariffs on luxury goods, which makes Infiniti cars more expensive for buyers.
