We’ll wait and see on this! – Rick Mazur – Two House lawmakers introduced legislation this week that would provide a consumer tax credit up to $1,500 on an ebike purchase
Measure Proposes Ebike Tax Credit Up to $1,500 | Cycle Volta
House legislation would cover 30 percent of an ebike purchase.
By Staff
February 10, 2021
If approved, the tax credit will be available to individual consumers once every three years.
Photo: Gazelle Bikes
Two lawmakers this week introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives that would provide a consumer tax credit of as much as $1,500 on an ebike purchase.
Reps. Jimmy Panetta, D-California, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon and co-chairman of the Congressional Bike Caucus, introduced the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment (E-BIKE) Act to encourage the use of ebikes to replace vehicle trips and reduce carbon emissions.
The tax credit would cover 30 percent of the cost of an ebike, up to a $1,500 credit. It applies to ebikes costing less than $8,000, and individuals would be able to use the credit once every three years, or twice for a joint-return couple buying two ebikes.
“Ebikes are not just a fad for a select few; they are a legitimate and practical form of transportation that can help reduce our carbon emissions,” Rep. Panetta said. “My legislation will make it easier for more people from all socioeconomic levels to own ebikes and contribute to cutting our carbon output. By incentivizing the use of electric bicycles to replace car trips through a consumer tax credit, we can not only encourage more Americans to transition to greener modes of transportation, but also help fight the climate crisis.”
“One of the few positive developments of the last year has been the surge in biking. Communities large and small are driving a bike boom. Notably, electric bicycles are expanding the range of people who can participate and making bike commuting even easier,” said Rep. Blumenauer, who founded the Congressional Bike Caucus in 1996. “I look forward to working with Congressman Panetta on this important expansion of cycling opportunities.”
In addition to PeopleForBikes and the League, the E-BIKE Act is supported by the California Bicycle Coalition, Bike Santa Cruz County, Bicycling Monterey, Northern California retailer Mike’s Bikes, Ecology Action, CALSTART, US PIRG, the National Resources Defense Council, Gazelle Bikes, and Current Ebikes.
On its website, PeopleForBikes is offering a form letter for supporters to contact their representatives and urge them to back the legislation