The HB 579 exempts natural gas from the state fuel tax for five years, provides an incentive for companies to expand their fleet of natural gas vehicles and starting in 2019 establishes a fuel-tax structure for natural gas that is similar to that for diesel fuel. The bill also requires any person selling natural gas fuel at retail in Florida to obtain a license from the Department of Revenue.
The Natural Gas Fuel Fleet Vehicle Rebate Program offers rebates of up to 50 percent of the costs of converting certain vehicles to natural gas-powered vehicles. An applicant would be eligible to receive a maximum rebate of $25,000 per vehicle, up to a total of $250,000 per fiscal year.
The Revenue Estimating Conference estimated that by 2019 the law will cut $100,000 from the state’s general revenue, $300,000 from state trust funds, and $200,000 from local governments.
