Give incentives not tax cuts

By Beth Robinson | January 19, 2008 |

Instead of blindly giving another tax cut, how about giving tax incentives for buying green vehicles and other green products, or services? I think this would be smarter way to go rather than across the board tax cuts (which somehow despite good press) puts very little money in the places where it really needs to go. Most of the incentives to buy hybrid vehicles, add solar energy, and make our homes more energy efficient have expired.

A lack of drinking water also seems to be a very serious problem many states are facing. How about boosting the economy by creating some new and cleaner water systems? Why does the used water from my shower and washer go down the drain when it could be recycled to save dying trees in my yard?

Consumer spending simply creates more waste which must eventually be dealt with. Putting more TV’s and other electronic gadgets in our landfills is not what a tax rebate should go to support.

In a related note, it is very sad to see all the current TV commercials to money-strapped individuals: “get your tax refund today!”. They should really say, “give us a chunk of your tax refund today”. I’m sure these types of businesses are pushing and lobbying for small rebates across the board.

Sections: Opinion | 2 Comments