xcel
04-18-2007, 05:42 PM
The bill defines hybrid vehicles as those with a highway fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon or better. (http://www.stargazettenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/UPDATE/304180034)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/07_Corolla.jpgGannett News - April 18, 2007
By all appearances, this bill may allow the following non-hybrid vehicles to be purchased without the NY. State sales tax? This list includes the Toyota Corolla (shown) and Yaris, Honda Civic and Fit, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio and Spectra, Hyundai Accent and Elantra, Mazda3, all Mini Coopers, Nissan Altima, Sentra and Versa, Saturn Ion as well as the fuel-efficient hybrid automobiles including the new Aura, Altima, Prius and HCH-II’s. Sadly missing from the list is the FEH which misses the highway FE target.
ALBANY -- Buying a hybrid car can save drivers hundreds of dollars on gas, and it could get even cheaper if a bill proposed today becomes law.
Two Long Island lawmakers have introduced legislation that would eliminate state sales tax on the purchase of a new or used hybrid vehicle. The bill would also allow cities and counties to opt in to the tax waiver.
"As automobiles are among the greatest producers of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, out state should be using its tax policies to promote the purchase of hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles," said Assemblyman Steven Englebright, D-Suffolk County. "Middle-class New Yorkers know the issues and want to do something about it, but they need to able to afford the technology."
The bill defines hybrid vehicles as those with a highway fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon or better, a class that a handful of new cars fit into. Typically, a hybrid vehicle is considered one that uses more than one source of energy. The term is usually applied to cars that use a normal internal combustion engine while accelerating and switch to an electric battery when idling or cruising. A model touted often by environmentalists is the 2007 Toyota Prius, which has fuel efficiency of up to 55 miles per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The goals of the measure are to reduce the state's dependence on foreign oil and combat climate change, which has mainly been attributed to carbon emissions from cars and power plants, said co-sponsor Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County. The lawmakers said they didn't know what the full cost to the state would be.
Environmental groups applauded the idea.
"Global warming is among the greatest threats to birds, other wildlife and people that we have ever experienced. We still have the power to affect how serious its consequences will be but we must act now," said Albert Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York. "Acquiring a high efficiency or hybrid vehicle is a good, and very affordable, start."
According to Consumer Reports, hybrid models require an investment of about five years for the owner to break even, with drivers enjoying an average savings of $425 a year on gas.
The lawmakers said 22,799 hybrids are registered in the state -- 11,634 of those were registered in 2005. The state had offered a tax credit of up to $2,000 -- but state legislators let it expire that year … http://www.stargazettenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/UPDATE/304180034
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/07_Corolla.jpgGannett News - April 18, 2007
By all appearances, this bill may allow the following non-hybrid vehicles to be purchased without the NY. State sales tax? This list includes the Toyota Corolla (shown) and Yaris, Honda Civic and Fit, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio and Spectra, Hyundai Accent and Elantra, Mazda3, all Mini Coopers, Nissan Altima, Sentra and Versa, Saturn Ion as well as the fuel-efficient hybrid automobiles including the new Aura, Altima, Prius and HCH-II’s. Sadly missing from the list is the FEH which misses the highway FE target.
ALBANY -- Buying a hybrid car can save drivers hundreds of dollars on gas, and it could get even cheaper if a bill proposed today becomes law.
Two Long Island lawmakers have introduced legislation that would eliminate state sales tax on the purchase of a new or used hybrid vehicle. The bill would also allow cities and counties to opt in to the tax waiver.
"As automobiles are among the greatest producers of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, out state should be using its tax policies to promote the purchase of hybrid and fuel-efficient vehicles," said Assemblyman Steven Englebright, D-Suffolk County. "Middle-class New Yorkers know the issues and want to do something about it, but they need to able to afford the technology."
The bill defines hybrid vehicles as those with a highway fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon or better, a class that a handful of new cars fit into. Typically, a hybrid vehicle is considered one that uses more than one source of energy. The term is usually applied to cars that use a normal internal combustion engine while accelerating and switch to an electric battery when idling or cruising. A model touted often by environmentalists is the 2007 Toyota Prius, which has fuel efficiency of up to 55 miles per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The goals of the measure are to reduce the state's dependence on foreign oil and combat climate change, which has mainly been attributed to carbon emissions from cars and power plants, said co-sponsor Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County. The lawmakers said they didn't know what the full cost to the state would be.
Environmental groups applauded the idea.
"Global warming is among the greatest threats to birds, other wildlife and people that we have ever experienced. We still have the power to affect how serious its consequences will be but we must act now," said Albert Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York. "Acquiring a high efficiency or hybrid vehicle is a good, and very affordable, start."
According to Consumer Reports, hybrid models require an investment of about five years for the owner to break even, with drivers enjoying an average savings of $425 a year on gas.
The lawmakers said 22,799 hybrids are registered in the state -- 11,634 of those were registered in 2005. The state had offered a tax credit of up to $2,000 -- but state legislators let it expire that year … http://www.stargazettenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/UPDATE/304180034