Congress has decided to legislate through the Tax Code. There are hundreds of tax credits that now exist. These range from the Earned Income Credit, education credits, electric vehicle credits, and adoption credits. Some of these credits, such as the Earned Income Credit, are refundable credits: You can get a refund based on the credit even if you don’t have income.
Now, the Bozo mind works differently than yours and mine. They see a tax credit and think, “How can I get some free money? I’ll find a tax credit and the government will just send me money!” So our Bozo looks and finds there’s a tax credit available for recovering methane (CH4) from landfills. Our enterprising Bozo sets up the Hot Air Gas Company, and starts claiming the credit. Our Bozo skips the somewhat important step of actually obtaining some methane from a landfill.
The IRS does investigate such tax credits, and when you claim that you are recovering natural gas when you’re not, that’s tax fraud, a criminal offense. And that leads straight to ClubFed.
The Tax Code is far too complex. Our Congresscritters have decided to legislate through the Tax Code, leading to a myriad of deductions and credits. The best solution to this issue would be for Congress to simplify the Tax Code but that’s not going to happen any time soon. Until then, if you legitimately qualify for a tax credit you should take it. But if the only hot air you possess is exhaling from your mouth, don’t claim a tax credit for it unless you want to visit ClubFed.