So, I got into a discussion on twitter yesterday afternoon over the Hoft’s comments about how the renewable energy sector gets all these federal handouts, and I noted that the oil industry got tons of tax breaks of its own.

These nitwits come back claiming that the tax deductions, breaks, and incentives aren’t the same as grants because the money isn’t handed to the company.

They totally miss the boat, and the way the federal government accounts for all tax credits, incentives, and deductions. For instance:

@lawhawk No it’s not. Just because I got to write off my mortgage interest doesn’t mean you pay more taxes. @gatewaypundit @thinkprogress

— BOSSY Taxpayer (@Taxpayers1234) May 13, 2014

The mortgage interest tax deduction may save the person thousands of dollars on their income tax return, but it’s a cost to the feds. That’s money that could go to reducing the overall tax rate, or go to other programs. That’s why it’s a line in budget negotiations as a cost to be accounted for.

The same goes for depletion, oil and gas exploration credits and incentives. These are breaks that the oil companies get for doing what they do. Without those breaks, they’d be paying more money, and everyone else could be paying less in tax.

It’s budget analysis 101, but they think that a grant is the only kind of money that is a government handout.