Soled & Alm: Is A Tax-Motivated Bonanza Of Electric Vehicle Gifts On The Horizon?

Jay A. Soled (Rutgers; Google Scholar) & James Alm (Tulane; Google Scholar), Is a Bonanza of Electric Vehicle Gifts on the Horizon?, 178 Tax Notes Fed. 257 (Jan. 9, 2023):

In this article, Soled and Alm argue that some provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act could encourage taxpayers to make automobile-related gifts, not out of generosity but as part of a strategy designed to achieve significant income tax savings. ...

Conclusion
In light of taxpayers’ tendencies to make the most of available tax-saving opportunities, automobile gift-giving may soon become a trend. This phenomenon would subvert the IRA’s legislative intent of having the clean vehicle credit accrue to taxpayers of moderate economic means, and it would cost the treasury lost revenue and undermine taxpayer confidence in the tax system.

Congress should therefore be proactive and reform the code as suggested. If it does, taxpayers will be foiled in their efforts to circumvent the statutory income limitations, and the car-gifting prediction suggested in this article will be stymied. Indeed, by making the proposed statutory refinement, the integrity of the nation’s tax system will be enhanced, and the legislative goal embodied in the IRA of reducing the nation’s carbon emissions will be more readily attainable.