I realize this may be a bit late since tax day is just around the corner, but I was plugging in my numbers for my 2011 Leaf purchase and charger install (ECOTality/Blink) and came up with two scenarios that you folks may have encountered:
1. my house only had a 100A meter, so we had to get a service upgrade. I opted to bump up to 200A. This required quite a bit of electrical work as the wires are underground/sidewalk, the new meter ended up being moved to the other side of the house, and wiring had to be connected from the new meter to the new, replacement panel in the garage. Since all of this work was required in order for the ECOtality contractor to sign off on/install the Blink charger, would the cost of the electrical service upgrade (permits, labor, parts) be included in the vehicle charging station credit calculation, or would it be just the cost I had to pay to have the charger installed (contractor passed ECOtality's limit by ~$200)?
2. my total tax liability before credits/deductions was way past $7500, so I was able to get the full $7500 tax credit for the Leaf. However, that credit moved me from owing on federal (-$3936) to getting a refund (+$3564). However, since I'm in the positive, I am unable to take any of the vehicle charging station credit. If I were to delete the Leaf from the return, I get a $1000 tax credit for the charging station. So, my question is regarding the feasibility of increasing my tax liability in these last few days in order to use the credit. If I'm doing the math correctly, if can increase my liability by $4564, that will put drop me from getting a $3564 refund to owing $1000; at which point the vehicle charging station credit should bring me back to $0.
Is this possible with so little time left? Is it worth it? I figured my wife and I can make some Roth IRA contributions for 2011 or something, but perhaps I'm missing something.
Thanks in advance.
1. my house only had a 100A meter, so we had to get a service upgrade. I opted to bump up to 200A. This required quite a bit of electrical work as the wires are underground/sidewalk, the new meter ended up being moved to the other side of the house, and wiring had to be connected from the new meter to the new, replacement panel in the garage. Since all of this work was required in order for the ECOtality contractor to sign off on/install the Blink charger, would the cost of the electrical service upgrade (permits, labor, parts) be included in the vehicle charging station credit calculation, or would it be just the cost I had to pay to have the charger installed (contractor passed ECOtality's limit by ~$200)?
2. my total tax liability before credits/deductions was way past $7500, so I was able to get the full $7500 tax credit for the Leaf. However, that credit moved me from owing on federal (-$3936) to getting a refund (+$3564). However, since I'm in the positive, I am unable to take any of the vehicle charging station credit. If I were to delete the Leaf from the return, I get a $1000 tax credit for the charging station. So, my question is regarding the feasibility of increasing my tax liability in these last few days in order to use the credit. If I'm doing the math correctly, if can increase my liability by $4564, that will put drop me from getting a $3564 refund to owing $1000; at which point the vehicle charging station credit should bring me back to $0.
Is this possible with so little time left? Is it worth it? I figured my wife and I can make some Roth IRA contributions for 2011 or something, but perhaps I'm missing something.
Thanks in advance.
