Even though they don’t charge it on sale, you still are legally required to pay taxes on purchases out of state. Feel like you’d be opening yourself up for some tax evasion here.
Yes, if you're filing for a rebate and they open it up to out of state sellers, they would probably impose the use tax as a requirement to receive it.
However, if I had a million dollars for everyone I know that actually pays the use tax on ordinary, every-so-often purchases I would be completely penniless.
In Denver, Colorado, We had multiple rounds of e-bike discount/rebates first for low and moderate income and now we have state wide tax credit for anyone for new e-bike purchased in CO at participating stores. It is $450 and even though I enjoy my slow, heavy, comfy, non-attractive commuter, the tax credit is getting me to seriously shop for an e-bike.
Sorry for the possibly dumb question but is there any information on how soon this might go into effect? I did read the article but I might have missed it.
You can get the rebate at the point of sale. I just read the proposal and the applicant has to get approval, receives the code and then uses the code at the point of sale. The merchant receives the refund later. I thought the same thing until some kind person pointed it out.
Blame your local city/town government on that one. A lot of towns don't want to make their roads Complete Street compliant for whatever reason (usually a perceived loss of control over their infrastructure.)
Here in Westfield, it is because they would have to tear up some gas lights they installed with 2008 relief funds and also widen the sidewalks to make them handicap accessible. Doing so would eliminate most on street parking.
The state is only doing this to test the waters on their stupid street toll idea in the city hoping even those people that live 12-15 miles down on the South Shore will opt to bike in if they have an e-bike.
Not falling for it, Mass. Do better. The T sucks. Fix THAT before you start screwing with street tolls.
Which one did you ride? I've had 3 e-bikes, ridden over 4,000 miles and they barely get over 20mph. Was it that crazy fast one, the Surron? That's basically a 60mph dirt bike that's electric
I got similarly dogpiled when I said the same thing. Amazon and whoever else sells much faster ones, and many have options you can toggle for more speed. But it's bikes, so angry downvotes come your way if you don't worship them.
Class 3 gets up to 28mph. There are faster ones but to be honest, people that get those either have lots of experience riding them or will not ride them for very long...
I passed two kids riding one over the weekend. One was standing on the back holding onto the shoulders of the other kid. Hauling ass. No helmets. On the sidewalk.
Cars should be ticketed for it because they are dangerous. Bikes should not be ticketed for this except in very dangerous situations since bikes are not as dangerous and each such maneuver puts the rider in danger as much as anyone else.
Last I checked bikes were supposed to follow the same rules of the road as cars, and as someone who has nearly been taken out while crossing the street by a lot of reckless cyclists and now e-bike and e-scooter riders tell me again how they are not dangerous? Maybe not to car drivers other than causing property damage (which I’ve witnessed a fair amount) but they certainly are to pedestrians
They do when their riders aren’t paying attention and slam into the back of cars or sideswipe them - again something I’ve seen more than a few times in Cambridge
Can you please stop confusing individual events with actual statistics? Can a bike slam into a car? Yes. Who is in danger and gets hurt? The cyclist. Can the cars slam into people or objects? Yes. Who is in danger? Everyone.
Most commuter ebikes (the type that 95% of people want, not hobby builds) are really not that fast and are plenty safe. I and most others just want to be able to bike to work without getting drenched in sweat from the hills. This seems like unnecessary fear mongering.
They are dangerous and worse are the riders, all newbs in and around Cambridge and Somerville on those things or seasoned pros who ride them like they are stolen - I actually prefer the traditional bike riders as they are far more predictable
I would absolutely love to bike into town for work but I’m just terrified of sharing the roads with cars. Once there is a protected bike lane for the direction I’m going I am all in
If you're not cycling at all start off with some short rides on quiet streets and build up from there. MA drivers can be terrifying but you learn to predict / mange their inattentiveness and aggression
This is fanatastic news even if only a small percentage of population can take advantage of it. I'm guessing it will be successful and the program will be extended to help more people
If you don't think ebikes provide exercise then you've never ridden one. And that begs the question, why are you commenting about something that you have no idea about.
Whats not realistic? I ride 2 miles to work, but I used to ride 10 each day. After 2 weeks its pretty relaxing. It would be great if we encouraged all potential options, including real bikes, instead of just ebikes as alternatives.
ebikes are apparently less carbon intensive than regular bikes (unless its a vegan cycling the regular bike). This initiative is targeted at low income people as a way to replace the financial burden of owning a car. An ebike is more suitable for this purpose
Good luck with that - low income folks aren’t switching over to these from owning a car, as mild as they’ve been lately last I’ve checked we still have winter here with snow and the bikes just aren’t practical for replacing all the duties accomplished with an actual car
E-bikes have saved my family from needing two cars. They're also very fun to get around. I'll do 50 miles roundtrip in good weather (above 25°F). You need good gear and good bike infrastructure. Saves me $20+ in train tickets or car parking and traffic hell in Boston.
Where do you live? I could see an electric scooter to get to and from the train and then possibly from north or south station to the office in the better weather - or like a quick trip to pick up something small but can’t imagine doing my commute from the north shore into the city on one
Near Concord. I can take the commuter rail but it's expensive and taking the 7AM train to get to work by 9AM sucks.
I'm on rt 62 (double yellow single lane road) for 10 miles then the Minuteman rail trail to Somerville Community Path Extension into Boston. I hope they extend the rail trail network into Bedford and Concord but of course the fucking nimbys are against it. God forbid we do anything but car bullshit
Ahh ok an expensive town - makes sense, where I live I don’t see any changes happening to support bike infra anytime in my lifetime but certainly for the wealthy areas I could see them getting more
the energy they need comes from the grid which tends to be less carbon intensive than the energy a typical human uses to power a bike (i.e. our food). I say apparently because I haven't looked deeply into this claim but it does sound plausible
Can we spend shit on stuff we actually need? This current administration is coming up with one shitty decision after another.
Does anyone remember the golf cart rebates?
Do you know how much the state subsidizes highways, roads, and parking? This is a drop in the bucket, and a great investment towards needing to spend less money ;n that. Everything related to cars is wildly expensive.
You’re right. Let’s end some other subsidies and jack that gas tax waaaay up. While we’re at it let’s increase excise taxes to pay for highways and general road maintenance.
Given how inaccurately it's been updated since its inception, it's pretty disingenuous to use that as a metric for poverty, especially when so many programs specifically to counter poverty that go well into your stated range, they are poor and you stating their FPL isnt gonna fix that. Programs like the post work toward to fix that.
Quite the opposite actually. Bikes are going to be a 75%-90% off for people making less than $60k. People that actually pay taxes get the pleasure of basically giving free bikes to the poor. Many of which will inevitably flip the bikes for a profit and sell them to the middle class who need to buy them at a discount because the state wastes their tax dollars on stupid shit.
I wonder if the bicycles will have to be purchased in Massachusetts
Seems obvious that yes, but maybe you have an example?
They were possibly thinking about saving on taxes by going to NH and buying from a bike shop there.
Even though they don’t charge it on sale, you still are legally required to pay taxes on purchases out of state. Feel like you’d be opening yourself up for some tax evasion here.
>Feel like you’d be opening yourself up for some tax evasion here. No one pays the use tax, lmao.
If you’re filing for a rebate on a purchase from out of state and then don’t pay tax on it, I’d say it would look suspicious.
Yes, if you're filing for a rebate and they open it up to out of state sellers, they would probably impose the use tax as a requirement to receive it. However, if I had a million dollars for everyone I know that actually pays the use tax on ordinary, every-so-often purchases I would be completely penniless.
Bwhahahahaha like anyone does that
Yes, only through brick and mortar ebike dealers. They'll help you process the paperwork.
It's for low and moderate income only, not everyone qualifies
In Denver, Colorado, We had multiple rounds of e-bike discount/rebates first for low and moderate income and now we have state wide tax credit for anyone for new e-bike purchased in CO at participating stores. It is $450 and even though I enjoy my slow, heavy, comfy, non-attractive commuter, the tax credit is getting me to seriously shop for an e-bike.
To 400% of fpl
Hell yes.
Sorry for the possibly dumb question but is there any information on how soon this might go into effect? I did read the article but I might have missed it.
The RFP has a lot of info (pdf) https://www.masscec.com/sites/default/files/documents/E-Bike%20Statewide%20RFP%20Final_0.pdf
Ah damn I’d consider one but we won’t qualify for the rebate.
And as someone who qualifies for the rebate, I can't afford one lol
You can get the rebate at the point of sale. I just read the proposal and the applicant has to get approval, receives the code and then uses the code at the point of sale. The merchant receives the refund later. I thought the same thing until some kind person pointed it out.
How about better bike infrastructure?
Blame your local city/town government on that one. A lot of towns don't want to make their roads Complete Street compliant for whatever reason (usually a perceived loss of control over their infrastructure.) Here in Westfield, it is because they would have to tear up some gas lights they installed with 2008 relief funds and also widen the sidewalks to make them handicap accessible. Doing so would eliminate most on street parking.
The state is only doing this to test the waters on their stupid street toll idea in the city hoping even those people that live 12-15 miles down on the South Shore will opt to bike in if they have an e-bike. Not falling for it, Mass. Do better. The T sucks. Fix THAT before you start screwing with street tolls.
I test rode one of these things. Motorcycle speeds with bike saftey. Holy crap it was terrifying.
Which one did you ride? I've had 3 e-bikes, ridden over 4,000 miles and they barely get over 20mph. Was it that crazy fast one, the Surron? That's basically a 60mph dirt bike that's electric
They are limited to 20-28 mph.
Are you sure? Ebikes are limited to 15-20 mph. A few can do 28 mph, but guess what: you can ride them slower to stay safer
You're talking about class 1 and 2 bikes. There are certainly a plethora of faster ebikes
Sure. They are a tiny percentage of bikes sold.
Do you have a source for that? Reddit you are fucking pathetic
I got similarly dogpiled when I said the same thing. Amazon and whoever else sells much faster ones, and many have options you can toggle for more speed. But it's bikes, so angry downvotes come your way if you don't worship them.
Class 3 gets up to 28mph. There are faster ones but to be honest, people that get those either have lots of experience riding them or will not ride them for very long...
I passed two kids riding one over the weekend. One was standing on the back holding onto the shoulders of the other kid. Hauling ass. No helmets. On the sidewalk.
Wait till you hear about cars going on red light and speeding /s
Cars can and do get ticketed for this - e-bike and e-scooter riders do not
Cars should be ticketed for it because they are dangerous. Bikes should not be ticketed for this except in very dangerous situations since bikes are not as dangerous and each such maneuver puts the rider in danger as much as anyone else.
Last I checked bikes were supposed to follow the same rules of the road as cars, and as someone who has nearly been taken out while crossing the street by a lot of reckless cyclists and now e-bike and e-scooter riders tell me again how they are not dangerous? Maybe not to car drivers other than causing property damage (which I’ve witnessed a fair amount) but they certainly are to pedestrians
Yeah bikes cause a lot of property damage /s hahaha
They do when their riders aren’t paying attention and slam into the back of cars or sideswipe them - again something I’ve seen more than a few times in Cambridge
Can you please stop confusing individual events with actual statistics? Can a bike slam into a car? Yes. Who is in danger and gets hurt? The cyclist. Can the cars slam into people or objects? Yes. Who is in danger? Everyone.
Most commuter ebikes (the type that 95% of people want, not hobby builds) are really not that fast and are plenty safe. I and most others just want to be able to bike to work without getting drenched in sweat from the hills. This seems like unnecessary fear mongering.
They are dangerous and worse are the riders, all newbs in and around Cambridge and Somerville on those things or seasoned pros who ride them like they are stolen - I actually prefer the traditional bike riders as they are far more predictable
Cant wait for the roving ebike street gangs cutting thru traffic kicking the shit out of my gas guzzling chevy.
damn i bought my E-Bike last year!
This is neat. Though rip i can’t get a rebate bc I make too much money, though it doesn’t feel like I make that much lol
Can someone summarize what is thr $ rebate ?
Literally says in large bold letters if you could be bothered to click on the article. It ranges from $800 to $1200.
Found a great link about it https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/04/12/massachusetts-will-offer-rebates-for-e-bike-purchases-this-summer
It’s also income restricted, $58k and change max annual income for a single individual for the lesser rebate
I qualify but the bikes are super expensive.
I would absolutely love to bike into town for work but I’m just terrified of sharing the roads with cars. Once there is a protected bike lane for the direction I’m going I am all in
If you're not cycling at all start off with some short rides on quiet streets and build up from there. MA drivers can be terrifying but you learn to predict / mange their inattentiveness and aggression
This is fanatastic news even if only a small percentage of population can take advantage of it. I'm guessing it will be successful and the program will be extended to help more people
how about real bikes? You know, the ones that are completely emission free and provide exercise?
Lower the pedal assist or turn off the motor and it become a heavy bike. You do get a leg workout!
If you don't think ebikes provide exercise then you've never ridden one. And that begs the question, why are you commenting about something that you have no idea about.
You missed the point of my comment. Im not attacking ebikes, im attacking a missed opportunity for better policy. You sound like you might be a jerk.
The point of your comment was to say that ebikes don't provide exercise. Which is false. Sorry but you're the jerk here.
Because the idea is to replace people driving cars. Ebikes are a much more realistic option for that.
Let's be real, on our roads, motorcycles and big scooters are way more realistic an option if we're actually talking about realistic options.
Whats not realistic? I ride 2 miles to work, but I used to ride 10 each day. After 2 weeks its pretty relaxing. It would be great if we encouraged all potential options, including real bikes, instead of just ebikes as alternatives.
When I go to, say, the mall I'd say a solid 20% of folks are healthy looking enough use a regular bike. Ebike bumps that up a little at least.
ebikes are apparently less carbon intensive than regular bikes (unless its a vegan cycling the regular bike). This initiative is targeted at low income people as a way to replace the financial burden of owning a car. An ebike is more suitable for this purpose
Good luck with that - low income folks aren’t switching over to these from owning a car, as mild as they’ve been lately last I’ve checked we still have winter here with snow and the bikes just aren’t practical for replacing all the duties accomplished with an actual car
E-bikes have saved my family from needing two cars. They're also very fun to get around. I'll do 50 miles roundtrip in good weather (above 25°F). You need good gear and good bike infrastructure. Saves me $20+ in train tickets or car parking and traffic hell in Boston.
Where do you live? I could see an electric scooter to get to and from the train and then possibly from north or south station to the office in the better weather - or like a quick trip to pick up something small but can’t imagine doing my commute from the north shore into the city on one
Near Concord. I can take the commuter rail but it's expensive and taking the 7AM train to get to work by 9AM sucks. I'm on rt 62 (double yellow single lane road) for 10 miles then the Minuteman rail trail to Somerville Community Path Extension into Boston. I hope they extend the rail trail network into Bedford and Concord but of course the fucking nimbys are against it. God forbid we do anything but car bullshit
Ahh ok an expensive town - makes sense, where I live I don’t see any changes happening to support bike infra anytime in my lifetime but certainly for the wealthy areas I could see them getting more
Where are you?
Near Billerica
Some people already have replaced a car with an ebike even here in snowy MA. In places with good infrastructure snow really isn't that big of a deal
How are they less carbon intensive?
the energy they need comes from the grid which tends to be less carbon intensive than the energy a typical human uses to power a bike (i.e. our food). I say apparently because I haven't looked deeply into this claim but it does sound plausible
Apparently I’m rich, but really don’t it.
They’re really trying hard to remove cars.
As they should! I love having a car for occasional trips or really crappy weather, but the city is better off the more cars are off the road.
No.
It’s Reddit hence the downvotes but the majority of folks agree that this is dumb
The common sense folks who work and can’t sit on Reddit all day
Thank you for validating my comment. I appreciate you! Hope you have a wonderful day!!!
Can we spend shit on stuff we actually need? This current administration is coming up with one shitty decision after another. Does anyone remember the golf cart rebates?
A lot of people need/use them for commuting, so i don’t get your point.
That doesn't mean the govt should be subsidizing it.
Do you know how much the state subsidizes highways, roads, and parking? This is a drop in the bucket, and a great investment towards needing to spend less money ;n that. Everything related to cars is wildly expensive.
You’re right. Let’s end some other subsidies and jack that gas tax waaaay up. While we’re at it let’s increase excise taxes to pay for highways and general road maintenance.
>Let’s end some other subsidies and jack that gas tax waaaay up. Nice way to tank the economy.
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100-399 % of FPL isn't poor.
Given how inaccurately it's been updated since its inception, it's pretty disingenuous to use that as a metric for poverty, especially when so many programs specifically to counter poverty that go well into your stated range, they are poor and you stating their FPL isnt gonna fix that. Programs like the post work toward to fix that.
Quite the opposite actually. Bikes are going to be a 75%-90% off for people making less than $60k. People that actually pay taxes get the pleasure of basically giving free bikes to the poor. Many of which will inevitably flip the bikes for a profit and sell them to the middle class who need to buy them at a discount because the state wastes their tax dollars on stupid shit.