Hybrid tax credits: Remove the cap?
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President Bush called on Congress to remove the cap on tax credits for hybrid sales. Only 60,000 vehicles per
manufacturer each year can receive the tax credit up to $3,400, a problem only Toyota Motor Company is facing, since it
sells more than 60,000 vehicles. President Bush urges that removal of the cap will get more fuel saving vehicles on the
road, reducing our “addiction to oil”. The man talks like someone that has been in a 12-step program of
some sort. While I applaud any effort to increase fuel efficient cars on the roads, do we really need a tax incentive
for a Lexus RX400h? Maybe a tax break to guide consumers to more fuel efficient vehicles, regardless of technology,
could provide a larger benefit. [Source: The Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Glenn A. 9:16PM (4/26/2006)
Personally, I think the tax credit should only go to buyers of the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid (AND the like); i.e. useable cars which get at least 70-100% better MPG than equivalent cars - not yet more brick-faced SUV's which just happen to save 15-30% MPG because they're hybrid.
They're still wasteful, stupid SUV's, and we not only need to kick the oil habit, but the "STUPID UTILITY VEHICLE" habit, too.
You would be amazed to know what I've gotten into my 2005 Prius hybrid...
How about a snowblower (new, no gas and no oil in it yet). A huge donation of food from a church to a food pantry - filled all but the driver's seat but I did get it all in.
Rode to a funeral with friends in a Tahoe. In reality, it is not bigger for passengers than my Prius and way more difficult to get in and out of.
As for off-road use - yeah, right. 99.9% of SUV's never leave the pavement unless they're busy rolling over from tire blowouts or because idiots think that all wheel drive makes an SUV stop and turn as well as it goes in the ice (which happens all the time, unfortunately for the people stupid enough to buy these dinosaurs).
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jwer 8:36AM (4/27/2006)
As long as people are lining up to buy SUVs, why NOT have a tax credit for a Lexus Hybrid? If the tax credit serves as an incentive for prospective Lexus buyers to buy the hybrid instead, what's the harm? Not having the tax credit is not going to deter them from buying a stupid car, it will just prevent them from buying a LESS stupid car. Baby steps, people...
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