Green Options

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.

When municipalities look to cut costs, some of the first programs that get chopped are green programs. But, is that such a good idea? Municipal green programs can have significant economic benefits in addition to their environmental bona fides.

In the results of a “Eurobarometer” survey recently released by the EU, we can see some progression in the evolution of green consumerism. EU citizens are taking the environment into account when purchasing products, according to the survey. They are also interested in putting carbon footprint labels on products. And what about green taxes?

The stimulus package approved in February contains items aimed at making everyone an environmentalist. Well, let’s say practical environmentalist.

On March 13, the European Union will impose a counter-subsidy tax on U.S. biodiesel producers for “dumping” biodiesel on the European market.

European producers have been complaining about cheap imported biodiesel for quite a while, and it looks like a key European trade panel finally took action. The tax will be specific to each biodiesel producer:

• ArcherDaniels Midland: 86 cents per gallon; 
• Cargill: 90 cents; 
• Imperium Renewables: 96 cents; 
• Green Earth Energy Fuels: 93 cents; 
• World Energy Alternatives: 96 cents; 
• Peter Cremer North America and remaining biodiesel producers will pay $1.36 per gallon.

President Barack Obama gathered politicians and public last night to talk about how to avert the worst economic disaster in since the depression through his plan to improve health care, schools and the environment.

Thanks to the Bush administration, the current US deficit is over $1 trillion (not including the economic stimulus package). Obama plans to cut this deficit in half by 2013. Obama will let Bush’s tax cuts for individuals who make $250,000 or more a year expire in 2010. As far as troop withdrawal from Iraq, Obama estimates this would save about $90 billion a year, although some of this savings may be deferred to increasing troops in Afghanistan.

Switzerland has historically been a tax haven for Americans (and citizens of other nationalities) however this is about to come to an end as UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, has agreed “to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans whom the authorities suspect of using offshore accounts at the bank to evade taxes. The bank admitted conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and agreed to pay $780 million to settle a sweeping federal investigation into its activities.” (New York [...]

One in four New Yorkers is obese, and soda is America’s hottest scapegoat. New York City may implement an 18 percent sales tax on soda and sugary drinks in the name of reducing obesity and raising money for health programs.

This proposal has sparked debate about the the efficacy of the tax and the potential harm to businesses. According to the New York Times, this tax would decrease soda consumption by 5 percent and would raise over $400 million per year.

The US auto industry’s woes are well known — we’ve covered them here at Gas 2.0 many times — but are these companies deserving of taxpayer money for a government bailout, or should they be left to deal with a mess that they mostly created?

This is the question that will be debated live on NPR.org today at 3 PM EDT (19:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

With fourteen days left until the U.S. presidential election, the heat is on. As much as all eyes are on the candidates, everybody’s pulse is on the economy. People all over America are wondering who will better serve the U.S. Economy and bring it to where it needs to be. What are the candidates saying?

John McCain says that Barack Obama’s tax policy is not conducive to building a strong economy. Obama says he wants to spread the wealth around. Joe [...]