The government is forever trying to wean us off our fossil fuel energy dependence. Now you can comply and get a tax credit for installing energy efficient garage doors. 

Conspiracy theorists often claim the government or some shadow group behind it is out to control us. Well, they are right to some extent, but there is no hidden scheme. Instead, the government does it right out in the open. It provides benefits for taking actions it wants and costs for doing things it doesn’t want you to do. 

A classic example is the effort to get people to stop smoking. The government can’t outlaw the practice, so it taxes it to no end. This is part of an overall strategy of going after what are called the “vices.” It has become so out of control that in some places a pack of cigarettes costs over $10 [New York City].

Of course, there is a flip side to this. In the case of energy, we don’t get punished for not being green. Instead, we get a financial break for doing it. In this instance, the break is known as the energy efficiency tax credit. It gives you a tax credit up to 30 percent of the cost of buying and installing a energy efficient garage door or $1,500, whichever is less. 

Now, it is important to understand the value of a tax credit. It is much better than a tax deduction. A tax deduction is merely deducted from your gross income to arrive at a number that tax can be determined from. A tax credit is actually deducted dollar for dollar from the actual tax amount you owe. If you did your taxes and found you owed Uncle Sam $1,500, a $1,500 tax credit would reduce this to zero. Now that is an incentive!

I don’t have to tell you that your garage door acts like swiss cheese when it comes to insulating your garage. Now you can change it and get a health tax credit as well.