Still
no new hybrid vehicle tax credits? Let's take action!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Give
them credit?
Congress has passed CAFE. By 2020 foreign oil dependency
will end, significant reductions in global warming will be
achieved, and all Americans will drive in any vehicle and
achieve at least 35 mpg, while saving 100s of dollars in
gasoline costs per year.
Now will reality please stand up?
While it was easy for Congress and consumers to scapegoat
foreign oil dependency, global warming and high gas prices
to automakers, whom do deserve a significant amount of
blame, Congress and consumers deserve as much blame.
For instance, if Congress simply asked Americans to pay
for the real cost of gasoline, such as the costs of
securing oil from the Persian Gulf (non-war costs), at the
pump instead of as hidden taxes, the price of gasoline
over the last few decades would have easily been a few
dollars more expensive per gallon. That alone would have
had a monumental impact on foreign oil dependency by
forcing consumers to make more fuel efficient purchases.
Of course making consumers responsible for reality might
mean losing elections and, as politicians regularly prove,
elections are more important than reality.
Thus, we're left with 35 mpg by 2020, which actually means
about 26 mpg when the faulty testing of the EPA is added
into the equation. Then factor in the different standards
for cars and trucks, the ethanol credit, and other
loopholes that I'm sure are left to be found and CAFE
seems greatly unimpressive.
Inevitably, one can only wonder, will CAFE really lead to
significant change, especially when energy consumption in
America is predicted to increase significantly in the next
few decades?
That's why it seems more tax credits for hybrid
cars, for clean diesel, for bio-diesel conversion kits
are so important. Such credits reward consumers for taking
action TODAY, not in 2020. Yes, such credits might favor
Toyota because of the success of the Toyota
Prius, but such hybrid sales success only pushes other
automakers.
Hybrid tax credits NOW escalates automaker competition,
increases R&D into battery technology, while shaping
the consciousness of the American automobile consumer
towards smarter, more fuel-efficient consumerism.
Instead, Congress gives billions of dollars to the oil
industry and to the corn-based ethanol industry. Rather
than subsidizing rich people to create energy, why not
give consumers the ability to reward industries that are
creating cleaner and greener energy and products?
Let's put power in the hands of the people, not
self-serving corporations focused on profit above all
else.
In 2007, Soultek
and HybridCarBlog
contacted members of Congress and tried to rally public
support for extending and increasing the Clean Vehicle Tax
Credit. Obviously, we didn't do enough. Let's make 2008
the year the people demand action. Congress is failing the
people. Industry is failing the people.
Enough is enough. Join our Hybrid
Car Revolution Campaign!
COMMENTS
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Tax credits only pander to the politics of loopholes, gotchas, and pork-through-complexity. Just put in a universal gas tax and let the consumers avoid it in the same was that will help the environment - through reduced consumption. Most people never see the credit anyway due to AMT.
I've advocated for a gas tax many times and I believe it would be the simplest most effective solution. Unfortunately, it's a topic that almost every politician won't touch with a ten foot pole.
No doubt tax credits are not a perfect solution, but they are the 'system' right now. Therefore, until a gas tax is a real political possibility, I'd rather tweak the system towards giving the power of the purse to the people rather than to industry. Let corporations compete for the tax credits through consumers.