This past week, Mayor Bloomberg eliminated the City’s four percent sales tax on clothes and shoes -- keeping up with the neighbors (New Jersey), and supporting local jobs in the manufacturing, retailing and over-consumption sectors. In response, I wrote Mayor Mike, suggesting a Tax Free Month for Energy Efficiency Purchases.
Tax-free Energy would include:
- Energy Star appliances, computers, etc.,
- CFLs and LED lighting, motion detector switches, etc.,
- Renewable energy and efficiency retrofit systems,
- Bicycles, bike tune-ups and bike safety gear,
- Et cetera.
I’d like to see the first Tax Free Energy Month take place during Bike Month in May 2007, when Mayor Mike is hosting leaders of municipal governments and international businesses from over thirty world cities at the Large Cities Climate Summit. International media will be focused on NYC’s energy and climate policies, and its citizen’s practices. With this little incentive and extra attention, millions of New Yorkers could be persuaded to do their part and invest in conservation, renewables and a healthier future.
Prepare the retailers and installers! Promote it big, then track this incentive’s outcomes. If this tactic proves to be as successful as I project, make tax-free energy permanent.
Think of the many benefits of individuals, businesses, buildings powering down on wasted energy, all the new jobs that would be created, and all the emissions reduced.
If you agree that Tax-Free Energy Month would make for a great return on investment for all of New York, what do you think the City -- and we-- can do to make it a success?
