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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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9

Golf Carts—Sorry, LSVs—Win Big in Stimulus

Electric car credit goes to street-legal carts

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(Newser) – The federal government really wants to buy you a golf cart—as long as you don’t call it a golf cart. The stimulus contains a tax credit of up to $7,500 for anyone buying an electric vehicle, provided it’s primarily used on the road. So dealers are selling “LSVs” (low-speed vehicles)—cheap, street-legal buggies that happen to look and drive an awful lot like golf carts, ABC News reports.

The vehicles cost a fraction of a real electric car. One that ABC test drove cost just $8,000, and was eligible for a $6,000 write-off—which, if you’re keeping track, is more cash than anyone got for their clunker. It’s probably not what Congress had in mind when it wrote up the provision, but the IRS recently certified the vehicles as eligible for the credit, though it stresses that they’re definitely not golf carts.

They even transport firefighters.
They even transport firefighters.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
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9 comments
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Wonka
Oct 28, 09 12:31 PM CDT
Still, I bet it performs poorly in crash tests. Reply
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davjc09
Oct 28, 09 12:39 PM CDT
These are the types of instances were big government spending screws up royally. They want to give money to support a reasonable cause, which is fine and dandy. But the legislation always leaves huge openings for fraud and frivilous handouts like this. So it ends up costing tons for very little gain. If we're going to spend loads of money on this stuff, let's tighten up our bills to reduce this kind of mess. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
myvoice
Oct 28, 09 12:48 PM CDT
No disrespect dav because i agree, but seriously, thinking government can be detail orientated or specific in anything is futile. Just look at the constitution.
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+4
IN RESPONSE:
serfinWI
Oct 28, 09 1:28 PM CDT
Exactly why gov't should not be involved. Give money to support a reasonable "cause"?? What cause is that, driving fred flinstone cars into the next Middle Ages? NOT fine and dandy. The gov't should not be in any business, nor favoring one over the other. Doesn't say anything about doing that in the Constitution. " Tighten up our bills to reduce this kind of mess??? " What is that supposed to mean? Just don't write them in the first place. Keep their grubby, greedy hands off.
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+2
Reader65069154
Oct 28, 09 12:49 PM CDT
Stimulus delivered to you (and proofread by) the same folks who want to bring you Obamacare. Reply
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+3

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