The U.S. Internal Revenue Service set the 2011 standard rate for deducting business use of a car at 51 cents per mile

, up from the current rate of 50 cents. The rate is based on an annual study, conducted by Runzheimer International, of "fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile," according to an IRS statement. "Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates."