Looking for a tax break for your manufacturing business?
If so, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Biden Administration may have the answer you’re looking for.
In a controversial move to help the U.S. move away from its dependence on fossil fuels, D.C. recently announced their latest set of rules for companies looking to take advantage of this clean energy manufacturing subsidy.
(… A move that has some manufacturers up in arms.)
Join us today as we dive into this latest announcement coming out of Washington and what it could mean for your business in the days to come.
In D.C.’s latest move to help reduce the U.S.’s reliance on fossil fuels, the U.S. Treasury recently announced their proposed guidelines for manufacturers who are interested in claiming a tax credit for producing American made, clean energy components.
According to the Treasury Department, since the IRA’s passage in August of 2022, companies across the nation have reported upwards of $140 billion in clean energy manufacturing investments, a definite check in the Biden Administration’s controversial move towards clean energy.
Added to that, this latest subsidy is projected to bolster the U.S.’s production of clean energy components like solar panels and batteries. A move meant to help create domestic jobs as well as provide the nation with an opportunity to move away from fossil fuels and power the Biden Administration’s proposed national energy transition in the coming years.
According to reports, the tax credit, being referred to as the 45x tax credit for advanced manufacturing, offers credits for each clean energy product made in the United States. The value of each credit is completely dependent on the number and necessity of components produced by the applying company.
As an example, producers of the much-needed critical minerals used in products like electric vehicle batteries will be eligible for a 10% return of their production costs. Further listed eligible components to be produced to qualify include inverters, wind turbine parts and photovoltaic solar equipment, among others.
In addition, this latest announcement also confirms full credit amounts for each product as well as provisions to prevent claiming tax credits twice for the same component.
As reported, the credits will begin phasing out in 2030 and end after 2032 for clean energy components. Critical minerals, however, are not expected to phase out.
(*Note: The guidance is subject to 60 days of public comment, which the Treasury said it will consider before issuing their final rules.)
According to Reuters, discussing the need for such a major move in the clean energy sector in the United States, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo recently said, “No matter how much we spend, we know that China is likely to outspend us when it comes to their investment in clean energy. What we’re doing is something different. What 45x is demonstrating is that we’re creating a manufacturing renaissance here in the United States that’s being led by U.S. companies.”
Now, the United States’ plan to move away from the country’s reliance on foreign nations such as China in support of domestic strength and independence is nothing new in D.C. However, these latest reports of IRA manufacturing investments have shown that 69% of said investments actually have been in counties across the country where the median household income is below the nationwide median.
In other words, the Inflation Reduction Act is allowing for investments to be made domestically and not on foreign soil, taking those valuable dollars away from our foreign competitors and bringing some much-needed love to what many consider the nations often overlooked middle class sector.
It’s worth noting that climate-related measures and policies can have various implications for different industries, including manufacturers.
Climate measures such as these often aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote clean energy, and address environmental concerns.
As with everything in politics, however, opinions on this topic are divided.
If a measure includes regulations or incentives that impact manufacturing processes, energy consumption, or emissions, manufacturers may need to adapt their operations to comply with new standards. An idea many in the industry are not necessarily in support of as changes in regulations could lead to increased compliance costs for manufacturers.
That being said, such measures may also create opportunities for innovation and investment in sustainable technologies. Additionally, as we’ve seen with this latest report out of Washington, government programs may provide incentives or subsidies to encourage manufacturers to adopt environmentally friendly practices.
But are incentives like this enough to entice a majority of manufacturers in the nation to completely revamp their businesses to better meet the latest demands out of D.C.?
Would these incentives be enough to entice you?
When it comes to this question, only time will show us the answer.
The demand for clean energy initiatives out of D.C. is nothing that appears to be going away.
… And as time continues to pass, and more people climb aboard the energy efficient, electrically powered train, perhaps we will, indeed, turn a corner and begin cutting U.S. emissions in an impactful way.
Until that time, however, the debate on this topic continues to rage in Washington. And as more and more incentives and regulations are expected to roll out in the years ahead, as stated above, only time will tell whether these efforts will reach the results many hope for in our nation’s capital.
P.S. If you’d like help making sure your business is prepared for the digital revolution, or just need a helping hand on your digital transformation journey, we at Rain Engineering are here for you!
Our team of skilled engineers and manufacturing experts have the expertise and knowhow to help you and your team at any stage of your digital transformation.
Whether you’re just getting started or are almost to the finish line, if you have questions, we have the answers!
… And by your business joining a community like the one we have here at Rain Engineering, you can always count on having an experienced and reliable team by your side, ready to help you take on whatever growing pains you might experience along the way.
So, what are you waiting for?
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