Our country has a progressive taxation system; the more you earn, the greater percent of your earnings are taxed. In fact, the top 1% of taxpayers pay about 40% of all taxes (http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html). Whether or not this is fair I don't know, but certainly the wealthier should pay more than the poor. But this is not true with solar subsidies.
The utility rebates which pay for the on-grid solar PV systems you see on housetops around town are paid for by a fee on your electric bill. For most houses in Tucson this fee is a flat $4.50/month or $54/year. Every house pays it, rich or poor, the same amount. This is a regressive tax. The poor pay a higher percent of their income on this fee than the rich. This is unfair and unjust by almost any taxation philosophy.
And if that is not bad enough, it is also more likely that you will find an on-grid solar system on the house of a well-off Tucsonan than a poor one. The poor are disproportionately paying for these systems and the rich are benefiting. This is a clear case of the rich robbing the poor, but in a "legal" way. If you think it should stop, then you need to contact the Arizona Corporation Commission. If we can stop the solar subsidies and the renewable energy mandate in Arizona, it would boost our economy, since every house would then have $54 more to spend each year and businesses would have lower cost since their solar fees (about $200/yr for the average small business) would end. Solar could still count on the 30% federal subsidy and the $1,000 state subsidy, both of which are collected progressively. Let the richer citizens pay for their own solar systems, don’t make the poor do it!
Arizona Corporation Commission emails:
newman-web@azcc.gov
burns-web@azcc.gov
pierce-web@azcc.gov
stump-web@azcc.gov
kennedy-web@azcc.gov
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