IRS announces 2010 standard mileage rates
 

Just gets better and better...

Don't know how many of you use your personal car for work, but just got a fax from my work from IRS.gov saying the IRS lowered it from .55 cents per mile to .50. It says "the mileage rates for 2010 reflect generally lower transportation costs compared to a year ago." Now while I'm not a genius I did make it through college and a quick check on gasbuddy.com will show the current average US price of gas is MORE expensive than at ANY time last year. So what the fuck am I missing here? This directly affects my paycheck every week, by a fair amount.

I guess it's suddenly going to require me to drive 10% further to get to the same places ;) but that's not the point...

I just write off my entire vehicle...payment etc...so not keeping track of mileage...but I see your point, and all I can say is the goberment is always behind the 8 ball...

Randy knows where I live - it's over there >>>> under the bridge. The one I own.

down by the river, in a trailer :D

Update...just actually spoke to the IRS, live on the phone!

"How is this possible when the price of gas has gone from @1.70/gal a year ago to @2.70 now...and is higher now than at any point last year. Also the price of tires, brakes, oil etc hasn't dropped. I'm sure I'm oversimplifying things, so what am I missing?"

"You're not missing anything. You and I know the price of gas has gone up over the last year. But THEY are saying it's gone down."

"Who's they?"

"The government"

We repeat the previous exchange again to make sure I heard him right...

(speechless, while staring at the graph of the prices rising over the last year) "This is why there's a mafia."

"Haha I assure you we're not the mafia."

"I know YOU'RE not the mafia, I said this is why there IS a mafia."

I was actually quite surprised by his honesty and candor, I basically called for my amusement to see what the bullshit form letter response would be. But I guess they can just rub your nose in it because they can do whatever the hell they want anyway.

I guess the price of a government hammer has gone down from $150 to $100, so the government thinks that the price index is going down too.

Keep in mind when they set the gas rate last year, it was in response to the high prices leading up to it. I think lowering it is justified.

My boss raised the mileage rate we charge from 50 cents to 60 cents per mile after the gas hit $4/gal, but then never lowered it. I'm not complaining, but I wouldn't feel cheated if he did lower it, especially since most of those miles were on my Superhawk.

2006 - $0.445/gal (avg 2005 price ~ $2.35)
2007 - $0.485/gal (avg 2006 price ~ $2.60)
2008 - $0.505/gal (avg 2007 price ~ $2.80)
2009 - $0.550/gal (avg 2008 price ~ $3.20)
2010 - $0.500/gal (avg 2009 price ~ $2.20)

In fact they even raised it midyear 2008 because gas prices were starting to skyrocket at that time.