BS: SUV Tax Break?

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 08:16 PM

Yeah, pdq, I'd love to drop a 409 into it and find out how good the speedo really is. Imagine flashin' pink slips at a stop light, giving the Z78 a half block, and watching him check his electrical system at the end of the block. Ah, the joys of youth.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 05:58 PM

I remember a "reader's ride" in one of the four wheel drive magazines where the owner started out with a Chevy Vega, mounted the body on a narrowed 80" Bronco frame, then added a blown 454 Chevy engine. This begs the question "why?", but also demonstrates that it might be possible to make your Tercel into somthing you can deduct.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 05:29 PM

BUT, if ya convert the weight to metric and back again, you could add lotsa pounds. When Canada went metric--our government thinks that--Calagry and Edmonton were 190 miles apart. After the road signs got changed, they were 355 kilometers apart. Go figger. My mom died knowing in her heart that the cities had moved farther apart.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Nov 03 - 05:22 PM

Yup, to the tax break fir the gas hog.

No, to the sand idea. Truck's are figgured on GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) and that is determined by the manufacturer and not the consumer...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 08:52 PM

OK, now how do we do this? We bought a new car this year. It's a Subaru Outback, so I guess that sneaks under the wire and qualifies as an SUV - which is darn handy here in the foothills. So, my wife the chiropractor makes a couple of house calls a week, and fits in other errands with the house calls.
We tried to figure out how we could make the IRS pay us for the car, and what we'd get wasn't worth the effort to do the paperwork. the article Strick posted says the vehicle has to weigh more than 6,000 pounds. If I carry a load of sand in the Subaru, will it qualify for the deduction?
Do you mean to say that if we bought a gas hog to do what we can do better in a Subaru, we'd get a tax deduction?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: GUEST,Ely
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 05:31 PM

I nearly got run over by one of those stupid H2's because they're TOO BIG TO DRIVE ON CITY STREETS. Since I'm not a violent enough person to torch them, I'd at least like to see them taxed to the bitter end, business expense or no.

My parents' faithful old 1983 Tercel wagon did as well in the snow in Colorado as any SUV and got twice the gas mileage, even as it approached 20 years old. And it never came close to rolling over; we used to count the SUV's and Jeeps that had flipped and rolled off the roads into the streams when we drove up into the Rockies each spring.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 01:56 PM

There isn't a single person or corporation in Canada that can figure out our tax system. That includes our government. Good idea, though.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Amos
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 01:08 PM

Well, ya better prepare your tax break in metric, too, then, eh?? :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 12:57 PM

Amos,

We get better mileage in metric. However, with the American gallon being different from the Canadian gallon--which doesn't exist because we use metric, meaning liters (or litres), we, in Canada, don't know what we get per gallon. We just know what the gas stations get per liter (or litre). I like the Bondo idea. Might try that.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Amos
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 12:20 PM

Aw come on. Ain't you guys ever heard of Bondo? Anything is possible! The Tercel can have all the overwhelming altitude of a big damn clunky Expedition and still get 20 miles to the gallon!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 12:04 PM

Rapaire, see Bobert's remarks about the Tercel. Looks not too good from here.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Nov 03 - 12:00 PM

Do you think that I can make my old three cylinder Geo Metro look like a Hummer?

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 09:19 PM

brucie,

Got bad news and more bad news. Which do you want first?

First of all, the Tercel cannot be made to look like an SUV. Yeah, you can put big tires on it but, hey, it's a dnged Tercel..

Ahhh, the reat of the bad news.... Like I said, it's a Tercel...

Awww, jus' messin' with ya'.

Go 'head an ' stick some big tires on it. What the hey? It won't scare no one but at least it will be easier to get in and out of... Nevermind...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Strick
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 09:05 PM

And the Garfield with suction cup feet.

Wait, that's passe.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: GUEST,pdq
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 09:02 PM

Right next to the PBS/NPR sticker?

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: artbrooks
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 08:45 PM

JohnInKansas: you are almost right...the real way to confuse a good-ole-boy is to put a Confederate flag on a Volvo station wagon.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Peace
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 07:08 PM

So, I have t'ask you good ol' boys: Is there any way to disguise a Toyota Tercel as an SUV? And if I do, will I get a tax break?

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 06:53 PM

Yeah, Rapaire, but can ya' get 'em with white wall tires? Din't think so... Iz stickin' with my Dodge. But, hey, it's at least related to yer commuter vehilcle. It's an M880 military. 1 1/4 ton. 16.5 wheels (10 lug) and Spawzer will be happy to know that the only way it could more than 8 miles per gallon is if we're dropped from an airplane from 9 miles up...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 04:37 PM

Damn wimps back in the Effete East should all drive what we drive here. Yeah, it's an import, but so what? It's got two 7.62 mm machine guns, a 17.5 mm machine gun, and an overpressured interior in case of chemical or biological attack, and it's amphibious to boot. And it gets lousy gas mileage! Let's see your geeky Expeditions top that!

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 03:24 PM

Nothing is an acceptable substitute for a pick'm'up truck, for those who consider them basic transportation; but you can get yo'r "flag" at almost any truck stop in the country - or at least a bumper sticker with the "bars" on it.

In true "red-neck" country, putting a confederate flag on an SUV would likely be seen as evidence of a very confused personality - or at least as a proclamation of personal iggerance. They might even think you wuz makin fun of them ... which could be hazardous to the operator...

While the two "cultures" may be similarly "objectionable" to those who choose to be judgemental about such things, they are two different things.

John

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Strick
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 03:05 PM

My only question. If for some reason I decided to vote for Dean, would an SUV be an acceptable substitute for a pickup truck. And does ANYONE have any idea where you get a Confederate flag? I can't remember ever seeing one on sale 'round here.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 11:20 AM

Just so it ups the wind resistance andlowers the mileage Bobertz....Stick on a few flag decals too just to show the terrorists you mean business.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 10:21 AM

Well, danged, Spawzer, you do have a point there. Think I'll go out an buy me a camper shell for my old Dodge truck so it will at least look more like an SUV... That's the best I can do fir ya, now....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 10:12 AM

You are all a bunch of unpatriotic, un-American, wimps and should all be branded as such with the mark of Caine!!! Buying some hybrid piece of shit shows the fear you have for depleting resources whereas proudly driving a monstrous, overpowered, and inefficient SUV makes a real statement.   After all you need to remember that unless you drive an SUV, the terrorists win!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 09:55 AM

The classification as a truck rather than as a car does not affect whether they're a business vehicle. The only thing that matters is that they are used in the business and that you're prepared to prove it if the tax man comes to ask.

Having congess "change the classification" would have NO effect on the applicable tax regulations. The same deduction is available if someone buys a fleet of golf carts, or bicycles, to run a messenger service.

The same deduction, in kind if not in amount, is available if your employer requires you to buy a hard hat and steel toed shoes, if you can prove that you only wear them at work.

All you're seeing here is a "supersalesman" who's figured out that his customers aren't very smart - and he doesn't care how many of them go to jail as long as they make the down payment and he gets the note sold before they get caught. Since some people might be able to claim what he sells as a business expense, he can say "you can deduct $$$$$$ ..." and the generic "you" can always be "well, not you specifically, but some you's."

It's called advertising.

(He's probably assuming that their tax prep people will explain it to them before they get in trouble - and since he's not in the tax return business, they probably can't even sue him for bad tax advice.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 09:45 AM

Well said Nicole and Kendall. 60 Minutes did a piece on this about 6 months ago. Maybe its time to have it rerun...

Might of fact the Ford Expedition is so unsafe that when it came out a salesman would to take you out in it and teach you how to drive the thing.

But back to Dick Cheney's "energy policy": Like, other than "consumption" and "refinin'" more petroleum , which make oilmen richer, just what is it? Seriously....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: kendall
Date: 09 Nov 03 - 07:59 AM

As I understand it, these beasts are classified as trucks, not cars. Trucks are usually used in business, so the Hummer is a truck, and a business vehicle. Have congress change the classification and the tax break goes out the window.

How often do you see these "Urban Assault Vehicles" belly up in the ditch? people get the idea they are so safe and sure footed, when nothing could be further from the truth.Their high center of gravity makes them top heavy. Sure, they will go where a car can't, but they will not stop any quicker, and they will not steer on ice any better than a used Escort.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 11:25 PM

He is also probably correct in believing that the tax authorities won't pick up most of these comparatively minor frauds - they have enough trouble keeping up with big ones.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 08:36 AM

The real crime here is that the "buying public" is so ignorant that they will believe the "sales pitch" that says that you can get a tax break for buying from the dealer (and only from that dealer?) who tells you about it.

Provided that you have a legitimate business, and that you use your vehicle in that business, you can take the same kind of tax deduction(s) for any vehicle, regardless of size. Unless you can show that the vehicle is 100 per cent used only for business purposes, you do "need" to keep rather detailed usage logs (needed only if you're audited?) and for "small value" items it's often not worth it.

While there is, perhaps, a "presumptive" interpretation that vehicles over a certain size are not useful for personal purposes; and the IRS might be willing to take your word more readily for a large vehicle than for a small one, with somewhat less detail in your logbooks; you'll still need to show the "business purpose" of the vehicle for your deduction to withstand an audit.

An acquaintance who had five stretch limos for business purposes was taking this deduction 25 years ago. It was, and is, no different than the accelerated depreciation writeoff I take almost every year for small items of office equipment - except that this salesman has found a way to use it (dubiously) in his pitch. He probably believes, rightly(?), that his customer base consists of idiots who will believe he's discovered something for them.

John

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: NicoleC
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 02:22 AM

Unfortunately, the "bigger is safer" theory is one perpetuated by the industry. The reality is that the same rates of people die or are seriously injured in accidents in big SUVs as are in modest sedans. People continue to buy for this reason, but it just ain't true.

petr -- There are tax breaks for hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles (including natural gas, Mary). They just aren't anywhere near as big as those for large luzury vehicles. Priorities, you know.

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Miken
Date: 08 Nov 03 - 02:13 AM

Well spoken, Mary!

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: mg
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 11:20 PM

gas is a renewable resource...the stupid way we do it now might take a million years...but other kinds can obviously be made out of what we consider garbage, sewage, etc...don't know if they would run in a Hummer or not.

And I think people are not considering the real reason many people want larger cars..not status..not thinking there is a 1 in a million chance they will want to drive over lots of big boulders..not a desire to gobble up resources or pollute the atmosphere...but the very real danger of collisions in smaller cars..I am not specifically talking SUVs..think Volvos or something like that. It is part of the law of the commons..if everyone drove small cars, small cars would be safe on freeways. If the percentage of big cars goes up, small cars are relatively less safe. I live in a place with lots of black ice, torrential rains, deer jumping out at you, and people who pass with no clearance whatsoever. I am looking for a used cement truck. mg

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 09:44 PM

The worst enemy of the American is named Bush, not Bin Laden or Hussein. When will they ever learn?

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 08:20 PM

Yeah, this one really makes sense..................Not!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, you have a vehicle that is exempted from many EPA regs, including emissions and fuel consumption, and now yer going to give a tax break to folks to buy them????.....

Welcome to Dick Cheney's "Energy Policy"!!!

No wonder he won't give up the notes on the meetings that brought about such idiocy...

Worst thig is that, as small businessman, I can buy a Hummer cheaper, after tax incentives, than an equpped 4 door sedan. Hmmmm. Now throw in the resale value of the two and its a *no brainer*.....

Hummers in this area are as common as ticks....

Bobert

p.s. Ahhhhh, the Hummer consumes 1 gallon of an unrenewable resource evry 10 miles... Oh well. Eat, drink and be merry for....

Awww, screw our grandkids.................

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: GUEST,petr..
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 08:04 PM

there really ought to be a tax break for a hybrid vehicles,
and a surcharge on suvs..
btw how many 'small' business owners can afford a hummer.
p

Subject: RE: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Don Firth
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 02:25 PM

SUV = Mammoth Road Louse.

Don Firth

Subject: BS: SUV Tax Break?
From: Strick
Date: 07 Nov 03 - 02:17 PM

SUV tax break a marketing bonanza

If you're self employed, you can write off the value of an SUV up to $100,000 from your taxes. $18,000 off your Hummer. I'm not making this up. (Do note it's an accident, not a new tax break for the rich.)

Now there'll be more of these damned things on the road than ever.