The new House GOP tax bill kills the electric vehicle tax credit

[Phygon]

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;52939532]If you've got a problem with subsidies (I do,) there is the alternative of taxing gasoline cars more. Which is easily justifiable due to their greater harm to the environment and it still achieves the goal of incentivizing cleaner vehicles, as well as raising money that can be spent on infrastructure.[/QUOTE]

Please explain the meaningful difference between taxing and subsidies when it comes to problems like this.

[1legmidget]

[QUOTE=phygon;52939542]Please explain the meaningful difference between taxing and subsidies when it comes to problems like this.[/QUOTE]

Taxing gas will hit the poor harder than subsidizing EVs.

[Thelurker1234]

[QUOTE=phygon;52939542]Please explain the meaningful difference between taxing and subsidies when it comes to problems like this.[/QUOTE]
The difference is that subsidies are directly funding industries which may not be efficient, we see this all the time, with garbage surviving and being propped up by subsidies. A lot of American agricultural practices are a good example of this.

But the latter is just a pigouvian tax. Basically, a tax we levy on things identified to have a harmful effect on society to discourage it and make people pay for the social cost of their actions.

And it goes farther than propping up cleaner vehicles, as I said, you can take that money and put it to public transit, a clean public power grid, etc..

[QUOTE=1legmidget;52939592]Taxing gas will hit the poor harder than subsidizing EVs.[/QUOTE]

The poor don't buy new cars, as well, you can set progressive rates. Or, if you raise the tax on gas itself, you can use rebates to help the very poor recoup costs.

Also the EV subsidy hardly benefits the poor either. Mostly just middle and upper-middle class people.

[Morgen]

The senate version got amended at the last minute to remove it apparently. You'd think republicans would care more since a good chunk of battery production is in red states.

[Zero-Point]

[QUOTE=Morgen;52941105]The senate version got ammended at the last minute to remove it apparently. You'd think republicans would care more since a good chunk of battery production is in red states.[/QUOTE]

But battery production ain't a thing like coal minin'! D:

[Morgen]

Confirmed now that the amendment was NOT actually added to the bill that passed the senate. With how much of a shit show the bill seems to be, it took awhile for anyone to actually figure it out.