Hear, hear!
That's what bugs me about our US tax system - I have to go through screen after screen after screen of "did you do this?", "did you partake in that?", " did you live in an area that had this or that occur?", and the IL seems to be even worse. But you don't want to miss a legitimate credit either.
All this stuff, like a rebate for a high efficiency furnace, etc, should be outside the tax system. You bought the furnace, the salesperson can inform you of the credit, and you apply for it. Don't bother the other 97% that didn't buy a new furnace that year, many of whom did not buy a high efficiency one, so it doesn't apply anyhow. And all that complicates the tax program, a needless complication that doesn't apply to a large majority.
If you did buy a qualifying furnace, the form could always ask for some info from your 1040 if they want to scale it somehow. Though bottom line, I'm against all these subsidy/credits anyhow, but at least keep it simple if you are going to do them (the "you" being Congress).
-ERD50
In the UK it is truly outside the income tax system as far the taxpayer is concerned. A couple of months ago I installed an EV charger that came with a £250 rebate, and that amount is listed and deducted on the invoice because it is the installer who claims the rebate. It is the same with the rebate on our EV, the dealer claims back the money from the government after deducting from our invoice.
For charities you fill in a form to register with the charity when giving a gift and it is the charity that claims an extra 25% back from the tax man. When we donated a washing machine the British Heart Foundation picked it up and a couple of weeks later I got a thank you letter and statement saying that it had sold for £59, and they will claim another 25% because I am a taxpayer and it was a “gift aid”