Green Options » tax

Zero S and DS Electric Motorcycles are Now $1,000 Cheaper

Nick Chambers — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:35:10 +0000

Zero Motorcycles has just announced that they are the first electric motorcycle company to meet all US and Canadian safety standards as well as pass EPA certification allowing their bikes to qualify for major federal tax credits of 10% of the purchase price as well as a state sales tax credit.

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Minnesota’s New Conservation Tax Beginning to Pay Dividends

Dave Dempsey — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:43:46 +0000

Restoration of shallow lake habitat in southern and western Minnesota is one of the habitat programs funded by a new 25-year conservation tax in the state. Photo courtesy of Ducks Unlimited.

A new three-eighths cent Minnesota sales tax that took effect July 1 is beginning to result in conservation improvements. Approved as a constitutional amendment by Minnesota voters in November 2008, the tax is in place for 25 years and is expected to raise about $250 million per year for habitat protection, clean water and parks and trails projects.

The first headliner among projects funded by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment is the largest forest preservation deal ever in the state. About $36 million in taxpayer money, combined with private funds, will purchase conservation easements on 300 square miles of northern Minnesota forestland, staving off potential division of the habitat into a checkerboard of smaller private parcels. Landowner UPM Blandin will continue to own the land and manage it for forest products, but development is prohibited and public access to the land is preserved.

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Cigarette Clean-Up Fee Passes San Francisco’s Board Vote

Ruedigar Matthes — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:14:29 +0000

San Francisco, CA - They’re everywhere. On the streets, in gutters; even collecting in pools of water. Little orange and white rolls of paper and tobacco. Cigarettes. Once used, these unfriendly remains haunt our down towns and our backyards. But it’s time to say goodbye to the orange and white…in San Francisco at least. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee unanimously supported a measure that will help get rid of the stubs of used cigarettes.

The measure would increase the price of cigarettes by $0.20 per pack. The hike in price isn’t simply to discourage the purchase of cigarettes, but to help mitigate the costs of cigarette clean-up, relying on those who use cigarettes to help clean up.

Studies done by the city show that 25% of all litter found on sidewalks and in gutters is cigarette related. The $0.20 per pack of cigarettes would be reported and remitted on a regular basis by the retailers who collect the money at the counter. The funds would then be dispersed by the city for use in litter collection.

“All litter creates unnecessary costs for the city and its taxpayers,” said Mayor Newsom. “Cigarette butts are a big part of the problem.” Newsom, who commended the Board for their support of the fee on Monday, June 29, included this fee as a line item in his June 1 budget and introduced this legislation to enact a regulatory fee to recover these costs from the consumers of cigarettes.

Not only are cigarette butts eyesores, but they are harmful to the environment as well. ”Cigarette butts contain benzene and toxic heavy metals that can poison the marine environment and leach into groundwater,” said Newsom.

According to Newsom, researchers at San Diego State University have found that chemicals found in just one filtered cigarette butt can kill all living fish in a one liter bucket of water.

While the fee looked strong in its first reading on Monday, it could still be stomped out by the complete Board next week at its decisive vote.

Photo Credit: fragglerawker_03 via flickr under Creative Commons License

Economic Stimulus Includes $1,000 for Mass Transit Riders

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:19:11 +0000

We’ve already discussed what the $10 billion in economic stimulus might mean for high-speed rail. But the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama, also includes an increase in the tax benefit for many users of mass transit who can now save up to $1,000 a year or more on their transit commute. This represents a potential $440 a year increase in what they can save currently.

The Tax-Free Commuter Benefits, which let employees pay for mass transit tickets with pretax dollar, will increase the amount of pretax income that workers enrolled in employer-sponsored commuter benefits programs can use to pay for mass transit — from $120 per month to $230 per month.

“This law nearly doubles the savings employees can enjoy by using mass transit and sets us on a path to a future that’s both economically and environmentally sustainable,” said Larry Filler, President and CEO of TransitCenter and one of the key drivers behind this provision.

Employers that participate in the program will benefit as well. Companies offering the benefit can save up to an additional $100 per employee per year in payroll taxes.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, switching from driving to riding mass transit reduces CO2 emissions by 4,800 pounds per person per year.

Evading Taxes Is “Unamerican” : Swiss Banks Come Clean

Reenita Malhotra — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:19:42 +0000

I.R.S. Commissioner Doug Shulman warned U.S. taxpayers hiding money overseas that it was time to come clean with Uncle Sam.

This is what was implied by the Obama-Biden Presidential Campaign. Too bad that many of President Obama’s team of advisers, initially touted for its wealth of experience and qualifications, have come under the radar for this very “unamerican” activity. Nancy Killefer nominated for chief performance officer, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and health czar-designee Tom Daschle are all examples.

In the Vice-Presidential debates, Jo Biden had also hinted that Americans with money abroad were “unamerican.” What he implied was not merely the fact that they had money abroad but that it was stored in undeclared bank accounts and that they did not pay tax on interest earnings.

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If Our Gas Taxes Go Up, Will Gas Prices Become Unfair?

Sasha Friedman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:23:47 +0000

Faced with dwindling cash reserves, several states are considering raising their Gas Tax. Those with efficient vehicles will come out ahead. Low income families, the trucking industry and the alternative fuel industry will finish last.

Now I am all for taxes - there are many essential services that the government performs and they need money to do this. Most often, gas tax goes directly into maintaining and repairing roads and highways - a costly endeavor - but absolutely essential to keep our country alive.

What I’m specifically concerned about is how this will affect three groups: those with low incomes, the trucking industry, and the alternative fuel industry.

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China to Ban High Pollution Cars from Capital

Gavin Hudson — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:54:10 +0000

Starting New Year’s Day, Beijing will ban high-emission vehicles from the city.

Beijing will ban some 353,800 vehicles with high emissions from anywhere within the fifth ring road, which circles the city center at a radius of 10-15 km. One in ten cars and trucks in Beijing will be subject to the ban. But, say city officials, those vehicles account for 50 percent of the city’s notoriously bad auto pollution.

The vehicles on the banned list are those that do not meet the Euro I emissions standards set in Europe in the early 90’s. According to Ren Lihong of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science, these cars are a big part of Beijing’s pollution problem.

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The Twelve Days of sustainablog: Bees, Stimulus Checks, and Biodynamic Wine

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:21:11 +0000

2008 was a banner year for sustainablog, and we want to end it as strongly as we started. So, for the next twelve days, I’ll take a look back at some of the best and most memorable posts from the past year.

Let me start off, though, by expressing my immense gratitude to all of the writers who contributed during 2008. This was our first full year as a multi-author blog, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the way it turned out. Some of the writers I’ll mention have moved on; others on coming on board. I’m grateful for the inspiration you’ve all brought to the blog over the past year, and look forward with anticipation to what the new year brings us.

January 2008

Like New Year’s fireworks, January started off with a bang. Here are a few great posts to remember:

Jason Phillip’s post on Chicago’s bottled water tax was one of our most popular ever… it’s still getting pageviews!
Maria Surma Manka wrote a very thorough (and also very popular) review of Scientific American’s “Solar Grand Plan.”
I took a look at an innovative South African whose developed a low-cost, high-yield method of generating energy from chicken poop.

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Ten Percent of ALL Vehicles in Ireland to be Electric Cars by 2020

Andrew Williams — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:05:52 +0000

The Irish government has announced radical plans to introduce more than 250,000 electric cars onto the nation’s roads by 2020, a staggering ten percent of the total vehicles in the country.

If the scheme is successful, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the state energy agency, estimates an annual cut in CO2 emissions of around 350,000 tonnes. Transport currently accounts for more than a third of Ireland’s carbon emissions, higher than any other sector.

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What Does Economic Populism Mean For The Green Economy?

Reenita Malhotra — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:09:02 +0000

Economic Populism appears to be back in vogue. Given the fall of Lehman Brothers and the Wall Street machine, the economic banter clearly seems to be “the people” versus “the elites.

Economic populism involves an economic philosophy urging social and political system changes. In the current political and economic climate, the public concern over the inequity of wealth appears to be at a peak. There is a growing call by Senator Barack Obama and democrats to raise taxes on the wealthy to shrink the wealth gap. But is it true that the rich are getting richer? Or are the rich actually in danger of losing a significant portion of the nation’s wealth? Are the democrats worried about a problem that’s already being fixed by the markets?

Emmanuel Saez, the income-share expert and economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley told Robert Frank of the Wall Street Journal that during the Great Depression, the income and wealth of the top 1% of society fell drastically. (Read here for the full story). If history is to be believed then this will happen again especially if Obama becomes president.

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Bailing Out Renewable Energy Tax Credits

Michelle Bennett — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:53:41 +0000

In case you missed the news, the $700B bailout included tax credits for renewable energy industries. So what are the greenest bits of the bill and what does it mean for renewable energy companies? Also, where is all that glorious cash coming from?

Renewable Energy Tax Credits:

Solar energy gets an 8-year extension on existing 30% tax credits for residential and commercial solar installations.

Solar installations for residents and utilities are no longer confined to the US$2,000 monetary cap.
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Bipartisan Senate Bill To Extend Renewable Tax Credits

Jerry James Stone — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:31:33 +0000

After much arm wrestling, the Senate came to an agreement on energy tax breaks which are set to expire later this year. Both Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), of the Senate Finance Committee, made the announcement on Tuesday.

The tax package will provide $17 billion in renewable energy tax breaks. It will also adjust the alternative minimum tax, extend tax credits for children and create several business tax cuts. It will also set aside $7 billion in tax relief for those affected by recent floods and hurricanes. The bill extends the solar and wind investment tax credit for eight years, and the production tax credit for biomass and hydropower for up to two years.

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Taxing Water : The Sharp End of the EU’s Environment Policy

Chris Milton — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:42:14 +0000

Figures on the scale of embedded water use bring home the true unsustainability of our lifestyles. Estimates of actual water consumption include 140 litres for each cup of coffee and 16000 litres for each kilo of beef.

Now, in one simple statement, the EU’s Environment Minister Stavros Dimas has sent a shiver down the collective back of all Europeans. He said:

“if someone who lives near the sea has a swimming pool, then they will have to pay more. It is only logical to tax more heavily those who can afford to have a swimming pool, when they could just as easily swim in the sea”.

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5 Reasons Why We Don’t Need a Windfall Tax on Energy Firms

Mark Seall — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:13:59 +0000

Campaigners are pressing the British government to impose a “windfall tax” on energy companies following record profit announcements in the past week from Shell (£7.9 / $15.5 billion) and British Gas parent firm Centrica (£2.97 / $5.8 billion).

Energy companies have become flush with cash following high margins from record oil prices and a government sponsored carbon permit give-away used to justify a consumer price hike.

>>More on Energy from Red Green and Blue

Despite campaigners and Labour politicians describing recent profits as “grotesque” and “indecent”, and calling for additional taxes on recent gains to subsidize increasing household energy costs, there are several reasons why energy windfall taxes are fundamentally wrong, with the potential to worsen, and not improve the current energy crisis:

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The Green Tax Man: Good or Bad?

Mark Seall — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:54:30 +0000

By many standards the UK Government is among the eco leaders of the world, with a clear commitment to make significant cuts in greenhouse emissions, numerous tax incentives for green behaviour, and longer term ambitions to reduce CO2 output by up to 80%.

However, actions speak louder than words, particularly the words of politicians.

When the British Government announced their most recent budget earlier this year, there was much applause from green groups after chancellor Alistair Darling announced almost draconian increases in taxation on gas guzzling cars.

But how effective are these taxes? Do we have a clear set of policies that are making a real difference, or is there some truth in accusations that governments are using a green agenda to raise additional tax revenue?

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5 Ways to Green Your Taxes

Jennifer Lance — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:36:27 +0000

It’s income tax time again. Just like other special occasions, one would expect the green blogosphere to erupt in lists of eco-advice (see Five Super-Simple Steps to Green Trick-or-Treating or The 12 Green Days of Christmas). Since I can only think of one method to green up tax time (e-file), I will share my thoughts on income taxes and how they could/should benefit the environment instead of creating a list of 5 ways to green your taxes.

Unlike many people I know, I actually don’t mind paying taxes. The problem I have with taxes is that I don’t agree with how the money is spent by the government. In return for my payment of taxes, I expect peace and health for all world citizens, as I do feel this is our responsibility as a wealthy nation engaged in a global economy. These expectations are clearly tied to the environment, of which I expect my tax dollars to consider in every expense.

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Plane Speaking. Lorries Too.

Pem Charnley — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:43:09 +0000

As EcoWorldly continues its theme with transport news and views from across the globe, two items have come to my attention here in the UK.

Air Pollution

Aviation tax proposals have been outlined by the government. Under the new guidelines, due to come into effect in November this year, it will be the planes, not the passengers, that will be taxed.

New Government figures released showed that emissions from air travel are continuing to rise. Between 1990 and 2006, emissions from aviation fuel use more than doubled.

21 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions will be attributable to air traffic by 2050, and the Treasury report insisted the proposed tax system would, “introduce fairer duty, more in line with the environmental impact of flights, including the distance travelled”.

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Save the Environment: Tax the Babies!

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:54:30 +0000

“A professor of obstetrics in Australia has proposed an instantly controversial idea to put a tax on children, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.” (More on this one at Planetsave).