[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Governments often use the tax code to modify behavior. You could ask that question of a thousand government tax incentives/give aways. The question is why does the government want investment in electric power technology?

Because much like ethanol, they don't understand the limitations of the technology? I'm fully convinced that congress makes decisions at about a 4th grade level.

The fact is, if a technology is appealing enough to stand on its own merits, there is no tax incentive required. Nobody subsidized the iPhone, because consumers wanted it so bad they were willing to stand in line for hours to have one. It would be interesting to see how that interest in Tesla changes with the removal of the tax incentives. Propping up a business that isn't financially viable with subsidies is a totally different topic altogether, you can easily lump Tesla in with GM and Chrysler to ask why our tax dollars should be supporting automakers.