in fact, depending on how much revenue, one such business can
practically get a brand spanking new SUV every year (if I
remember
correctly can deduct something like 100k a year -- providing
the
thing is over 6000 lbs); in other words, they have the choice
between a brand new car for free, or to pay like the rest of
us ...

I find this hard to believe. Rarely can you deduct 3X what
something
cost. Do you have a reference that supports this claim?

Any accountants or tax attorneys here who can comment?

Matt

Congress patched that for SUVs placed in service after 10/22/04, so
it's now limited to $25K. It's not an additional deduction, but
merely allows depreciation to be claimed in the year of
acquisition. People often screw themselves by electing "section
179," due to steeply graduated tax brackets. They fail to compare
potential future savings by depreciating over 5 years, verses
taking it all in one year, chewing down into the lower marginal
brackets now as low as 10%, and even limiting the effect of certain
tax credits. Add to this the effect of progressivity and similar
wasted credits of the state income tax in some of the states.

Fred F.