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State's electric vehicle program blasted as a giveaway to the rich

Hundreds of Californians with household incomes of $500,000 or more have collected state subsidies for buying electric and hybrid cars under a program that is criticized as a taxpayer handout to the wealthy.

State regulators, in response, plan to restrict the subsidies to Californians who earn less than $250,000 or couples taking in less than $500,000. But that standard is also under fire from some lawmakers and anti-tax activists, who ask why subsidies worth up to $5,000 are given to people who can already afford the cars.

"The state should not be diverting … taxes on low-income and middle-class families to benefit wealthy drivers," said Senate Republican leader Bob Huff of San Dimas.