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One of the primary purposes of government is to enhance societal well-being. In doing so, there is a long history of government technology support programs which are designed to bring about this greater good. You cannot iron out the kinks in any new technology without some practical experience, which of course is difficult to get when a technology is immature, not supported by existing infrastructure, or unproven to large sectors of the consumer market. Under such circumstances it is appropriate for the government to offer incentives designed to help immature technologies advance to the point where they can stand on their own.

With regard to alternative fuel vehicles, there are many reasons why supporting their expansion could be considered as supporting the social good. First, alternative fuel vehicles (in many different forms) help reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil. As yet their impact has been minimal, but the potential gains in energy independence are large and achievable in the long run. Second, most alternative fuel vehicles have much lower or less toxic air emissions than gasoline engines, thereby reducing societal problems associated with automobile emissions. Such problems include smog, a contributor to many health problems in some areas of the country, as well as the potential global impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

I for one would much rather have my tax dollars returned back to consumers for the purpose of reducing environmental impacts and foreign energy dependence, than see them end up on a corporate balance sheet where they may or may not be serving to forward the good of society. It seems to me that in the present governmental environment, tax credits and cuts that serve to benefit the average person are few and far between compared to those available to the upper echelons of society. I would argue that tax credits for alternative fuel vehicles serve several purposes, securing our energy future, improving our environment, and rewarding anyone who chooses to make a future friendly vehicle choice. This includes those of us to whom a couple thousand dollars is financially significant and who are typically unable to take advantage of recent upper-income friendly tax breaks.

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