# solar tax?



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

I caught something on the radio but didn't get to hear all of it. something about a proposed bill about a new
solar tax? Anyone hear anything about that? How can you tax sunlight?


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Its Obama crap again. He wants to tax Chinese made solar panels to the point they would cost as much as panels made in the US.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

There are solar panels made in the US?


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

There were many, but now just a few. China is flooding the market with cheap panels. It creates quite a quandary for the green loving left. Cheap panels are good for getting more into solar, but their union labor is getting crushed and can't compete at manufacturing.

Thanks to cheap panels people in CA, NJ, and Hawaii can put in solar systems that cost less than the utility power they buy. That makes solar pretty popular here. We've had 300,000 homes go solar in the last 2 years in CA. Probably 200,000 more in next 12 months.



Nathan Jefferson said:


> There are solar panels made in the US?


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

HuntingHawk said:


> Its Obama crap again. He wants to tax Chinese made solar panels to the point they would cost as much as panels made in the US.


How is that crap? Protecting US businesses...


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Free Market. People should have the right to choose between purchasing a USA made solar panel or a cheaper one made in another country.

I think Obuma is still trying to cover his rear on his pre election fiasco of the hundreds of millions given to a US solar companies of two which went bankrupt quickly but managed to give millions in donations to the DNC.


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

HuntingHawk said:


> Free Market. People should have the right to choose between purchasing a USA made solar panel or a cheaper one made in another country.
> 
> I think Obuma is still trying to cover his rear on his pre election fiasco of the hundreds of millions given to a US solar companies of two which went bankrupt quickly but managed to give millions in donations to the DNC.


You still have the right to purchase whatever you want, just one isn't cheap any more. Saves US jobs in the end!


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Actually it kills jobs too.

For solar to be feasible it has to be at least close to the cost of power. Analyst can tell you exactly how much power you will get over 20 years from a panel based on the azimuth and pitch of your roof or the panel location. If the cost of that power is higher than the utilities power few will buy it. If its lower many will buy it. The company I got involved with 3 years ago has created 600 jobs thanks to low priced panels. Take them out and you kill those 600 plus jobs. 

And by the way they were the 3rd largest installer in CA. So more than 2000 jobs were created just in CA thanks to low priced panels.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Thanks Ripon, you beat me to it. Can't afford the solar panels there are no jobs for people to install them.


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## PrepperLite (May 8, 2013)

Ripon said:


> Actually it kills jobs too.
> 
> For solar to be feasible it has to be at least close to the cost of power. Analyst can tell you exactly how much power you will get over 20 years from a panel based on the azimuth and pitch of your roof or the panel location. If the cost of that power is higher than the utilities power few will buy it. If its lower many will buy it. The company I got involved with 3 years ago has created 600 jobs thanks to low priced panels. Take them out and you kill those 600 plus jobs.
> 
> And by the way they were the 3rd largest installer in CA. So more than 2000 jobs were created just in CA thanks to low priced panels.


Aye that makes sense, I guess its a question then which creates more jobs. 2k jobs created for companies hiring to sell/install Chinese panels or X amount of jobs lost when US solar manufacturing companies go out of business because they cant compete with manufacturing prices.

With Solyndra (a USA company that went bankrupt) it was estimated that about 3K jobs were being created through construction/operation of its facility.

So you take 3K jobs from the US, and 2K from cheap overseas and you get 1K remaining in the US based off of comparison of just these too companies so I would say still more in the US? Either way it doesn't seem like much is lost or gained.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Solyndra had a maximum of 1,034 employees & received $535 million in stimulus funds. 

What is the difference in the Chinese government supporting a solar company there & the same thing happening in the US but the US company goes under? Both companies had government support to get going. But according to most employees there were no more then 200 employees directly involved with solar panel production.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Bottom line is if people can't afford the panels there is no jobs anywhere in the system. No jobs making them in the US because people can't afford the panels & no jobs installing because people can't afford the panels.

In Florida, most of the solar systems are small, under 3KW & are off grid. People setting them up for when commercial power is lost. The jobs go further then most think. Its the weld shop that people have custom frames & poles made. The hardware store or building supply store the sales wiring, breaker boxes, etc. Though thos don't come out to be full time jobs its still work for someone.


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

There is a problem though. If the US protects US manufacturers there is still nothing to make for the market can't bear the US made prices. The only reason 300,000 systems have been sold in CA is due to high energy costs that make cheap Chinese panels marketable. Raise the panel price and people won't buy em...so Americans won't make them. A 240 watt solyndra panel was $875 wholesale. Chines panels 240-280 watt today are nearing $225. Solyndra tried to make an advanced panel but it's output was never worth $500 more even if financed 20 years.

I would suggest that with out cheap Korean, Chinese and even Canadian panels we'd have 1/10th of the user market we do today. If the Chinese want to make $200 panels LET'S BUY THEM!



KillSwitch said:


> Aye that makes sense, I guess its a question then which creates more jobs. 2k jobs created for companies hiring to sell/install Chinese panels or X amount of jobs lost when US solar manufacturing companies go out of business because they cant compete with manufacturing prices.
> 
> With Solyndra (a USA company that went bankrupt) it was estimated that about 3K jobs were being created through construction/operation of its facility.
> 
> So you take 3K jobs from the US, and 2K from cheap overseas and you get 1K remaining in the US based off of comparison of just these too companies so I would say still more in the US? Either way it doesn't seem like much is lost or gained.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

FWIW my first question was a joke about how all the .gov subsided companies went out of business.

Next up. they want to take out Chinese imports on something we should actually be importing? WTH? Because it put their chosen few out of business? How about we slap a big tariff on all the china-mart crap that they ship over here to help drive our messed up consumerism economy... Or at least go across the board, but PLEASE don't pick out one of the very few things we should be buying!!!


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

These Mother F*****'s will get you any and every way they can. Solar Tax. What's next? Tide Tax because the Moon moved the water? :-x


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

What's next? How about: Is The Obama Administration's Entry In Sovereign Restructurings About To Unleash Havoc? | Zero Hedge

There would be no reason the administration would want to set precedent that sovereigns can default... right?


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Gasoline is running about $3.50 per gallon. If chain of stations opened up & sold basically the same gasoline for $1.50 per gallon guess which people would buy.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

HuntingHawk said:


> Solyndra had a maximum of 1,034 employees & received $535 million in stimulus funds.


Over 500k per job PRETTY GOOD! That's a lot lower than the majority of stimulus jobs, I think they were like 1.something million each...


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

bigdogbuc said:


> These Mother F*****'s will get you any and every way they can. Solar Tax. What's next? Tide Tax because the Moon moved the water? :-x


Some places tax rain barrels - tide tax isn't that far fetched now is it?


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I'm just waiting for the big O to put a tax on sex, maybe then he get impeached.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

paraquack said:


> I'm just waiting for the big O to put a tax on sex, maybe then he get impeached.


Nah, cause you would get free sex vouchers with your food stamps and section 8, probably even a sex tax credit. Only those nasty rich people making over 40k a year will have to pay.


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