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STRATEGIC ISSUES...ONLINE 
For week of April 24, 2006, Issue #259
 
Featured Articles:
1.  Maximize Hybrid Tax Credit by Buying Early
2. Tech Tip Weekly:  The Difference Between a Shortcut and an Icon
 
 
If you would like to have further information on any of these articles, let us know.  We would appreciate receiving your comments and/or suggestions, anytime!
 acarroll@pmcpa.com
 
 
1. Maximize Hybrid Tax Credit by Buying Early
 
Last year's Energy Bill had some good news for those planning to buy a hybrid car in 2006 - a new tax credit of up to $3,400.  But there's a catch.  The credit begins to phase out after the number of hybrid vehicles sold by a manufacturer reaches a certain limit.  For some big manufacturers, that could start to happen later this year.  So to receive full credit, you might want to plan your purchase of a hybrid vehicle earlier rather than later.
 
Last year, you could receive a $2,000 tax deduction if you bought a qualifying hybrid vehicle.  The Energy Bill replaced that with a tax credit of up to $3,400.  The amount of the credit varies from model to model depending on various fuel efficiency factors.  Generally, a credit is worth more than a deduction because it offsets taxes dollar for dollar.
 
You'll receive the full credit for any model until one full quarter after the manufacturer's sales reach 60,000 hybrids.  After that, the credit is cut to 50 percent for the next two quarters, then 35 percent for two quarters, and finally to zero.
 
If this sounds complicated, don't worry.  The IRS recently said that you can rely on the manufacturer to tell you how much credit to claim on your return.  But remember, if you buy late in the year, you may receive less credit than someone who bought early.
 
Credits are also available for alternative fuel vehicles, hybrid trucks, and fuel cell vehicles.  Please contact us if you would like more information about any of these energy conservation credits.
 
 
2.  Tech Tip Weekly:  The Difference Between a Shortcut and an Icon
 
An icon for a file, folder, or program looks pretty much like a shortcut, except that the shortcut has an arrow wedged in its lower reaches.  And double-clicking on a shortcut does pretty much the same thing as double-clicking on an icon: starts a program or loads a file or folder.
 
But a shortcut is only a servant of sorts.  After you double-click on the shortcut, it runs over to the program, file, or folder that the shortcut represents and kickstart that program, file, or folder into action.
 
You could do the same thing yourself by rummaging through your computer's folders, finding the program, file, or folder you're after, and personally double-clicking on its icon to bring it to life.  But creating a shortcut so that you don't have to rummage so much is often more convenient.
 
-If you delete a shortcut -- the icon with the little arrow -- you're not doing any real harm.  You're just firing the servant that fetched things for you, probably creating more work for yourself in the process.
 
-If you accidentally delete a shortcut, you can pull it out of the Recycle Bin, just like anything else that's deleted in Windows
 
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