Now that you've done your part by cycling to work for National Bike to Work day, wouldn't you like to get paid for it?
Back in March I wondered why bicycle commuters couldn't get a tax break similar to the ones bestowed on hybrid car owners. There are two bills in Congress that go further than that. One bill submitted in the Senate in April would enable employers to pay bicyclists up to an extra $105 a month, tax free.
The Daily Vanguard at Portland State University writes about the bills. The House and Senate bills are based on the same transportation fringe benefit that enables employers to reimburse workers for vanpooling or commuting by bus, subway, or light rail.
The employees aren't taxed for the amount of their reimbursement and the employers deduct the total payments from their taxable income.
The most recent such bill to hit Congress is the Senate Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2006, sponsored by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden among others. It's similar to House Bill 807 submitted in February 2005 by Earl Blumenauer, a Democratic congressman also from Oregon.
The Vanguard reports that the Bicycle Commuters Benefits proposal might be added to a comprehensive energy bill that is being written up, giving it a greater chance of passage.
I like the idea of bicycle commuters getting the same advantages as commuters who take the bus or vanpool. To me, an extra $105 a month is better than a tax break in April.
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