Wealth redistribution watch: Cash for carts

By Michelle Malkin  •  October 19, 2009 02:22 PM

The WSJ spotlights tax code affirmative action for golf club carts:

We thought cash for clunkers was the ultimate waste of taxpayer money, but as usual we were too optimistic. Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama’s stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart.

The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart. Even in states that don’t have their own tax rebate plans, the federal credit is generous enough to pay for half or even two-thirds of the average sticker price of a cart, which is typically in the range of $8,000 to $10,000. “The purchase of some models could be absolutely free,” Roger Gaddis of Ada Electric Cars in Oklahoma said earlier this year. “Is that about the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?”

The golf-cart boom has followed an IRS ruling that golf carts qualify for the electric-car credit as long as they are also road worthy.

As always, clever opportunists are finding ways to exploit the program:

The IRS has also ruled that there’s no limit to how many electric cars an individual can buy, so some enterprising profiteers are stocking up on multiple carts while the federal credit lasts, in order to resell them at a profit later. We should note that some states, such as Oklahoma, have caught on to the giveaway and are debating whether to cancel or limit their state credits. But in Congress they’re still on the driving range.

This golf-cart fiasco perfectly illustrates tax policy in the age of Obama, when politicians dole out credits and loopholes for everything from plug-in cars to fuel efficient appliances, home insulation and vitamins.

You’ll recall that the porkulus bill incorporated a golf card stimulus as well.

How many more fiscal black holes to go?

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Posted in: fiscal stimulus

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Comments


  1. #1
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:28 pm, spaceycakes said:

    “Is that about the coolest thing you’ve ever heard?”

    Yeah, how cool is that?! I’ll take two——-
    no matter that Nana needs a new fridge–the devil take the hindmost!

  2. #2
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    How many more fiscal black holes to go?

    Hey, there are rich guys out there playing golf with last year’s clubs, how about a Cash for Berthas program? It will help keep the production of cutting edge clubs in the US and out of the hands of the Chinese. I conservatively estimate it will save 47 million jobs in Florida alone.

  3. #3
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:37 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    how about a Cash for Berthas program?

    I’ve heard there are several places in New Orleans and rural Nevada that have such a program already.

  4. #4
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm, Misscheryl said:

    How many more fiscal black holes to go?

    O.K. That was just racist!

  5. #5
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:49 pm, stillontheroad said:

    Yep, I can see those low profile Carts in the hood already. Reminds me of the line ” I was robbed by a loittle ole lady in a motorized cart” or some such thing.

  6. #6
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:50 pm, rambler said:

    Congress and this administration needs to have a batch of debt councilors descend upon DC to put all there on a strict budget, cut up all the credit cards and force them to stop borrowing money from other countries to pay for out of control spending. We need to stop being the piggy bank for those clowns. If they want to spend their entire pay checks on stupid gov programs, then be my guest. They need to stay away from my paycheck!!!!

  7. #7
    On October 19th, 2009 at 2:58 pm, rw said:

    I saw a thread on slick deals about this last month. There’s a problem when govt programs show up on bargain hunter websites. I’m surprised that they aren’t offering some ungodly percentage of Bing cash back on top of it to make it better than free after rebate.

  8. #8
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:02 pm, Cogs said:

    Obama and congress are playing “52 Pick-up” with OUR money!

  9. #9
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:02 pm, right_on said:

    The “poor” already get a significant amount of taxpayer money, via welfare, food stamps, medicare/medicaid, and high monetary thresholds in the tax code. Bleeding hearts want to increase the poor’s benefits with “healthcare reform,” once again at taxpayer expense. It is not about giving out affordable healthcare, and never has been. It’s about control, and power.

    I saw a local study years ago, that showed thet the majority’s aid to the poor programs lifted hardly anyone from the rolls of the poor. Quite to the contrary. Up to three generations of families depended on welfare as their primary source of income. It had become a lifestyle choice, especially for the females, whose only role models were their maternal ancestry.

    Democrats constantly rail against the “status quo.” but in reality, they accept it, and in fact, promote it. Why?

    Social welfare accomplishes at least two things for the left. It insures a voting base that will return them to power, and it also enslaves the lower segment of society. By doing this, they will always have an ear for demogoguery, and an under-educated, gullable audience, easily swayed by false promises. They will always pit the have-nots against the haves.

    Class warfare, and slavery. As we are now seeing, this is rapidly trending towards socialism, despite the denials of Obama and his politburo.

  10. #10
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Just A Grunt said:

    We already have entire neighborhoods around here that only allow golf carts to be driven around. You can use your automobile to go back and forth to work and such, but you can’t just drive around the neighborhood in a car.

    Got to love those home owners gulag, er, associations. Glad I don’t belong to one.

  11. #11
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, Just A Grunt said:

    Oh one other thing, Who was it that was attacking those little scooters that folks need for medical reasons as being wasteful? Claiming it was eating up a big chunk of the Medicare budget?

  12. #12
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:12 pm, max said:

    Bill Murray will be new new gold cart czar.

  13. #13
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:15 pm, tre said:

    I was thinking of buying a go-cart for my son and I to play with, but I want to buy it as a gift for him.
    Not have him buy it as a gift for me!

  14. #14
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:20 pm, txvet2 said:

    Hey, I need some sort of small utility vehicle to haul brush and rocks and stuff around the place. Where do I go to apply?

  15. #15
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, Hangfire said:

    I know a woman that obtained one of the little “personal mobility” scooters that you see advertised on late-nite tv.

    Her regular doctor was always telling her that she needs more exercise; she should walk a 1/2 hour a day.

    She called the 1-800 number and they gave her the number of a local doctor that would “prescribe” the use of a cart.

    She had to pay a few bucks, but MediCare picked up most of the costs.

    She has since put on about 20-30 pounds, doesn’t walk outdoors or at the mall any more; her lower legs look like kielbasa (she didn’t have swelling before she obtained the scooter).

    And, friends, we paid for it. Our tax dollars are making a lot of people who should get more exercise functional cripples.

    I saw a lady (at Sam’s Club) that makes Liz Taylor look like Ellen DeGeneres. She probably has her nails done at Earl Scheib. No evident paralysis, no missing limbs, just Jabba.

  16. #16
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:47 pm, MarcoPolo said:

    Wow. I’d love to have one. I wish I knew how to work the system.

  17. #17
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:51 pm, Ed Mahmoud abu al-Kahoul said:

    WEll, at least Rangel and Robert Reich’s goal of no jobs for white male contruction workers is working out well.

  18. #18
    On October 19th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, prendad said:

    Hey Obama, I had to drive through mud the other day and my tires are dirty.
    WHERE’S MY NEW TRUCK!!!????

  19. #19
    On October 19th, 2009 at 4:04 pm, mattm said:

    Par for the Course under Obama. ;)

  20. #20
    On October 19th, 2009 at 4:57 pm, zyzzyg said:

    An apparent loophole that should be closed with regard to golf carts. However, it might be a bow to senior citizens living in planned communities who use of golf carts extensively.

    Could be another $250 attempt to appeal to seniors.

  21. #21
    On October 19th, 2009 at 6:07 pm, ThatSamIAm said:

    Anyone else think Joe Biden looks more and more like Jeff Dunham’s ventriloquist dummy Walter every day?

  22. #22
    On October 19th, 2009 at 7:31 pm, bradley said:

    For further expose’ of taxpayer money being wasted, go to recovery.gov and check out the map featuring where Obama’s “stimulus” money went. In my little neck of the woods on the southern coast of Georgia, over 3,000,000,000 was spent. How? Along with the usual minority giveaways, college funding and city and county government projects, nearly $3,300,000 of your money went to refurbishing three motels (one, a Super8, $46 a night, free parking), $301,000 to a long-defunct Dairy Queen restaurant, and nearly $300,000 to M&B Liquors to spruce up the store, and $180,000 to a two-employee “art supply” store that looks like it sells second-hand clothes and cheap fake plants. Check out your own city or town and enjoy the ride. You’re paying for it.

  23. #23
    On October 19th, 2009 at 10:44 pm, Republicanvet said:

    On October 19th, 2009 at 6:07 pm, ThatSamIAm said:

    Anyone else think Joe Biden looks more and more like Jeff Dunham’s ventriloquist dummy Walter every day?

    No. Walter is smarter.

  24. #24
    On October 20th, 2009 at 12:23 am, On-my-soap-box said:

    On October 19th, 2009 at 6:07 pm, ThatSamIAm said:
    Anyone else think Joe Biden looks more and more like Jeff Dunham’s ventriloquist dummy Walter every day?

    I can’t tell! Bidet has his head up his arse whilst Walter has a hand up his… :shock:

  25. #25
    On October 20th, 2009 at 7:10 am, WarTip said:

    On October 19th, 2009 at 7:31 pm, bradley said:

    For further expose’ of taxpayer money being wasted, go to recovery.gov and check out the map featuring where Obama’s “stimulus” money went.

    Even here in the Philippines, the US govt websites give me the creeps. How many ways are they claiming your computer in their terms of service? Constitutional rights? Yeah sure.

  26. #26
    On October 20th, 2009 at 9:06 am, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Cash for Golf Carts–the motivating force behind generations of American fighting men! Allah, Marx and Oh’Bama be Blessed.


    BREAKING NEWS !

    This just in………………

    TED KENNEDY(aka Shovel Ready Teddy) HAS BEEN SOBER FOR 37 DAYS……….

  27. #27
    On October 20th, 2009 at 10:04 am, LOBOMAN said:

    I want a new ATV — When will we be paid to buy one of those?

  28. #28
    On October 20th, 2009 at 1:56 pm, purealchemy said:

    I thought he wanted all the fatties to walk or run and slim down.
    How much good is a golf cart as a real replacement for a car?

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