Pontiac Solstice - News

Will tax break help sell cars? Auto show visitors disagree - The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com

06.02.09

It's still not enough to make a 2009 sale for the Knolls.

The father-son team from Byron Township comes to the Michigan International Auto Show every year. This was the first with the prospect of tax deductions for automobile sales tax and loan interest.

"But we probably won't buy a new car this year," Knoll said as he lowered himself into the passenger side of the Solstice.

Although a few people attending Thursday's opening day of the annual show at DeVos Place said a tax break could seal the deal, others won't be ready to return to showrooms until the economy settles down.

This week, the U.S. Senate padded an enormous stimulus package with the lure of $1,500 or more in tax breaks for new-car buyers from November 2008 through 2009. Expected to pass by the end of this month, the stimulus package tops $900 billion with a combination of tax cuts, increased benefits and government projects aimed at creating jobs and spurring the sputtering economy.

"I think the stimulus package should give every household $7,000, and you have to use it on an American-made car or something American-made," said Angel Murphey, of Otsego. The prospect of a automotive tax deduction sounded good, too.

Source: The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com, MI