The Utah House passed a bill today that would provide tax credits to those who purchase clean fuel vehicles over the next five years.
Republican Representative Jack Draxler’s bill, HB 96, would change the current tax incentive program by eliminating credits for gasoline and propane vehicles. The Logan lawmaker hopes his legislation would motivate people to buy cars and trucks that produce minimal or zero emissions.
“We feel that now we have the all-electric vehicles eligible for a tax incentive, we have the hybrid vehicles and we have the natural gas vehicles, both those that are originally equipment manufactured natural gas vehicles and those that are converted to natural gas,” said Draxler.
Draxler told lawmakers on the House Floor that constituent concerns over poor air quality prompted him to draft a bill that would change and extend the clean fuel tax credit program. Up to five hundred thousand dollars of the program will be funded by income tax revenue from the education fund and the rest of the money will be taken out of the general fund. The bill passed on a vote of 58-13. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.