The Green Scissors coalition of taxpayer and environmental advocates sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urging the agency to implement key taxpayer safeguards for the 45Q tax credit. 45Q Carbon Oxide Sequestration Credit, a tax credit for every ton of carbon captured and stored, was most recently extended and expanded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In the letter, Friends of the Earth, R Street Institute, Taxpayers for Common Sense, U.S. PIRG, and Environment America sound the alarm on the lack of oversight and transparency measures for 45Q, which, combined with its history of fraudulent claims, could lead to fraud and abuse and taxpayer dollars without providing any real climate benefits.
Given the recent expansion of the 45Q tax credit under the IRA, which could cost taxpayers up to $30.3 billion over the next decade, the coalition urgers the IRS to implement these following measures to better protect taxpayers:
- Comprehensive Audits and Public Reporting
- Record Retention Requirements and Clawback Period
- Consistent and Credible Verification
“Without these oversight measures, the expanded 45Q tax credit risks perpetuating the same issues of fraud and abuse that have plagued the program in the past. It is essential that taxpayer money is spent wisely and efficiently, and that the 45Q tax credit delivers real climate benefits rather than serving as continued subsidization for polluting industries.”
Founded in 1994, the Green Scissors coalition works to eliminate government spending that is both economically wasteful and harmful to the environment.