Clearly, federal energy tax incentives play a big role in jump-starting a green energy movement. Yet now there is a good chance they will be scaled back significantly -- or eliminated altogether.
Remember, a tax credit is "somebody else's money" subsidizing something, which means taxpayers pay for it.
Always someone else's money. That's the key to crony socialism...
Rob Williams, associate professor of agriculture and resource economics at the University of the Socialist State of Maryland, says he prefers taking the opposite tack by forcing consumers to make energy-efficient improvements with the threat of a penalty. One way would be to impose a tax on "dirty energy," such as a British thermal unit (BTU) tax or a carbon or gas tax.
"This would give incentive to save energy in any way possible, rather than in one particular way supported by a tax incentive," he says.
How about cost? Is that an incentive? Why did whale-oil lamps go away? Why are computers and TVs so cheap?
Check out DSIREUSA.org, a government-funded site run by the North Carolina Solar Center, to get a full picture of the various federal, state, local and utility incentives that are still available.
See what your grandchildren will be paying for in 2050. |