SECTION 2. BACKGROUND

.01 For owners of passenger automobiles, § 280F(a) imposes dollar limitations on the depreciation deduction for the year the taxpayer places the passenger automobile in service and for each succeeding year. For passenger automobiles placed in service after 1988, § 280F(d)(7) requires the Internal Revenue Service to increase the amounts allowable as depreciation deductions by a price inflation adjustment amount. The method of calculating this price inflation amount for trucks and vans placed in service in or after calendar year 2003 uses a different CPI “automobile component” (the “new trucks” component) than that used in the price inflation amount calculation for other passenger automobiles (the “new cars” component), resulting in somewhat higher depreciation deductions for trucks and vans. This change reflects the higher rate of price inflation for trucks and vans since 1988.

.02 Section 401(a) of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111–312, 124 Stat. 3296 (Dec. 17, 2010) (the “Act”) extended the 50 percent additional first year depreciation deduction under § 168(k) to qualified property acquired by the taxpayer after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2013, if no written binding contract for the acquisition of the property existed before January 1, 2008, and if the taxpayer places the property in service generally before January 1, 2013.

Section 168(k)(2)(F)(i) increases the first year depreciation allowed under § 280F(a)(1)(A)(i) by $8,000 for passenger automobiles to which the additional first year depreciation deduction under § 168(k) (hereinafter, referred to as

2012–14 I.R.B. 712 April 2, 2012

tober 2011 index exceeded the October 1987 index by 34.207. Therefore, the automobile price inflation adjustment for 2012 for trucks and vans is 30.43 percent (34.207/112.4 x 100%). The dollar limitations in § 280F(a) are multiplied by a factor of 0.3043, and the resulting increases, after rounding to the nearest $100, are added to the 1988 limitations to give the depreciation limitations for trucks and vans. This adjustment applies to all trucks and vans that are first placed in service in calendar year 2012.

(2) Amount of the limitation . Tables 1 through 4 contain the dollar amount of the depreciation limitation for each taxable year for passenger automobiles a taxpayer places in service in calendar year 2012. Use Table 1 for a passenger automobile (other than a truck or van), and Table 2 for a truck or van, placed in service in calendar year 2012 for which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction applies. Use Table 3 for a passenger automobile (other than a truck or van), and Table 4 for a truck or van, placed in service in calendar year 2012 for which the § 168(k) additional first year depreciation deduction does not apply.