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This is great. You know how they (our loyal legislators) always end up burying all kinds of pork in the bills that get passed? Well here is something I would have never expected. Our friend at the EPA sent us this little tidbit that was buried in the “Bailout” package passed by congress just recently.
TRANSIT: Bailout bill offers tax break for bike commuters (10/09/2008)
Thanks to a provision in the $700 billion financial bailout bill, bicycle commuters will be eligible for a federal tax benefit.
Beginning in January, those who use a bike as their primary transportation mode to get to and from work will be eligible for a $20-per-month, tax-free reimbursement from their employers for their bicycle-related expenses. Employers will be able to deduct that expense from their federal taxes.
“It significantly legitimizes bicycling and elevates it to a credible commute mode, like riding a bus or train,” said Andy Thornley, program director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
The money can be used to buy, store, maintain or fix bikes that are used for a substantial part of an employee’s commute.
Bicycle advocates have pushed for seven years to try to get such a provision passed through Congress, but were unsuccessful until lawmakers squeezed pet provisions into the Wall Street bailout package approved last week (Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 9). – RB
It doesn’t quite match this but it is a start.
Micah
