Letter: Let’s give tax credits for driving hybrids

Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006 | 7:07 a.m.

Brian Wargo's Dec. 17 article about tax breaks for "green" housing makes good sense. Anything we can do to reduce our energy consumption and our dependence on foreign oil is a plus.

Here is another idea similar to this tax break that could help everyone in the Las Vegas Valley. Perhaps statewide, but surely in Clark County, we should consider offering state tax incentives for energy-efficient cars based on both their gasoline consumption and emissions.

I recently purchased such a car - a Prius hybrid, a truly wonderful car that currently has a federal tax credit that will fade away soon. Typically, a Prius gets 45 mpg (although not the 60 mpg the EPA has claimed) with almost no harmful emissions.

There are two easy ways to fund the tax credits: 1) Increase gasoline taxes to cover them, or an even better way, 2) change the way we pay our automobile taxes. Our automobile taxes are now based on value, but should be based, at least in Clark County, on three equal pieces: value, EPA mileage, and emissions. This latter method would reward those who drive "green" cars and allow those who prefer to drive gas-guzzling, high emission cars help pay their fair share to clean up our air.

Gary Musser, Las Vegas