Oil companies DO NOT receive subsidies.

[fractional slacker]

This is one of those myths that gets repeated so often by lefty mainstream media, people take it for granted. The left would like to obscure the fact that "green" energy can only survive through subsidies by conflating the terms subsidy with deduction.

All companies have tax deductions and/or various incentives. Very few are actually subsidized.

 

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/7/debunking-the-big-oil-subsidy-myth/

[Libertus]

And when you point it out to a lefty (which is almost everybody nowadays), they will say, so what, it's preferential treatment, so it's still like a subsidy. But before you pointed out that little fact, they had no idea what they were ranting about, and they will keep repeating that claim as if nobody ever corrected them. At this point they will defend themselves saying, it's OK to spread bullshit because it "wakes people up".
 

I'm done debating, at least without a worthy audience.

[Cuffy_Meigs]

Perhaps you could invite them to do the sums themselves. Suggest they subtract everything they consider a "subsidy" from both oil companies and wind farms and then show that wind farms are the answer to providing efficient affordable energy.

[labmath2]

Energy subsidies are measures that keep prices for consumers below market levels or for producers above market levels, or reduce costs for consumers and producers.^[1]Energy subsidies may be direct cash transfers to producers, consumers, or related bodies, as well as indirect support mechanisms, such as tax exemptions and rebates, price controls, trade restrictions, and limits on market access. They may also include energy conservation subsidies.^{[citation needed]} The development of today's major modern energy industries have all relied on substantial subsidy support.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_subsidies

[wdiaz03]

How about the use of the military to procure and protect foreign oil fields? Could that be considered a subsidy? It seems that on one hand the government increases the costs so much using regulations that I don't know once you average out these costs with benefits like the ones I mention that it can be considered a net subsidy. Most likely all companies operate at an increased cost due to government regardless whether they get handouts or not.

 

Like a bully going around the school taking arbitrarily amounts of lunch money then arbitrarily giving some amount back. Just because Bobby was subsidized he could still be a net loser compared to Tim. Its easy to see the final subsidy but the hidden costs of the coercion are harder to quantify.