In yet another example that powerful teachers unions and labor unions enjoy joint custody of Joe Biden and the Democrat Party, the ridiculously named socialist monstrosity “Build Back Better” Act contains a provision that provides a tax credit of up to $12,500 to purchasers of electric vehicles — other than Teslas.
Why not Teslas? Three words: United Autoworkers Union.
That’s right, America, as reported by CBS News, only electric vehicles made in unionized U.S. factories qualify for the full $12,500. However, if Tesla it must be, your tax credit would be capped at $7,500.
The full $12,500 tax credit will only be available for union-built electric cars, which cuts out nonunion Tesla, Toyota and Honda. Democrats place a higher priority on rewarding their union friends than maximizing the number of electric cars on the road. https://t.co/4dJHnP0aF9
— atasteofcreole (@atasteofcreole) November 25, 2021
Here’s the breakdown, per CBS News:
- A credit of up to $7,500 for an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, defined as a car with a battery capacity of at least 40 kilowatt-hours and a gas tank, if any, under 2.5 gallons.
- An additional $500 credit for a car with a battery pack made in the U.S.
- An additional $4,500 credit for cars assembled at a unionized U.S. plant. (Currently, only plants owned by GM, Ford, and Stellantis qualify [formerly, Fiat-Chrysler].)
“Coincidentally,” as noted by CBS, Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MICHIGAN), the provision’s co-author, admitted he included the bonus funding after being advised by General Motors and the UAW “about the importance of including an explicitly pro-union component.”
In addition, to qualify for tax credits under Biden’s BBB (Build Back Broke), electric vehicles must fall under a price limit. Vans, sports utility vehicles, and pickup trucks need to be under $80,000 to be eligible for the credit; for all other cars, the price limit is $55,000.
There’s also an income limit for taxpayers to receive the credit: $500,000 for married couples and $250,000 for single buyers. “These limits are intended to direct the EV credit more toward middle- and working-class people,” Mike Fiske, an analyst at IHS Markit, told CBS News.
Finally, it’s important to understand the basics, here. The provision is a tax credit — up to federal income tax owed — not a refund.
“This credit is at the point of purchase — it’s not a credit that you apply for,” Kristin Dziczek, senior vice president of research at the Center for Automotive Research, told CBS. “It’s going to come straight off a loan or the price of the vehicle.”
One wonders — this one, anyway — who this credit is really for.
Given that Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk isn’t exactly on the official Democrat Christmas card list and the reality that the Democrat Party has done the bidding of the United Autoworkers and other powerful labor unions for decades, I’m gonna put my money on the UAW and related unions.
In October, as reported by Reason, Biden all but admitted it. During a visit to a UAW job training center, he bragged about the EV proposal. “I want those jobs here in Michigan,” he declared — rather than in states like Tennessee or Kentucky, where UAW membership is less of a certainty.
Editorial: Biden's UAW protection plan is unfair, inappropriate https://t.co/bsvK5fnojg
— Detroit News Opinion (@DetNewsOpinion) November 17, 2021
The worst part about the Democrat Party in situations like this — blatant pandering to labor unions — is the complete disingenuousness of the whole thing. We know — and they know we know — that “climate change,” “green energy,” and fossil fuels have less to do with this provision, along with taxpayer relief and “good-paying jobs,” and more to do with delivering to the UAW exactly what it expects.
Doubt it? One look at the Democrat coddling of teachers’ unions should eliminate any doubt.
In other fun RedState Biden news:
Biden and Dems Can’t Decide Which Spin to Use for Those Skyrocketing Thanksgiving Prices
The Press Takes a Decidedly Different Stance Towards the Bidens’ White House Christmas
Join the conversation as a VIP Member