With all the talk about the bailout two weeks ago, we were surprised we missed this, which was included in the bill and is now law:
As of January 1st, employers can deduct up to $20 a month for participating employees who regularly commute to work, including costs of bicycle purchase, improvement, repair, and storage.
Read more about the act here at the League of American Bicyclists.
It's going to be up to employers to initiate the program, so we're curious to see how workplaces incorporate it. Based on how the employer chooses to offer the benefits, the employee may bring receipts to be reimbursed, may sign up for regular monthly payments, or devise some sort of voucher system with their employer.
The only small issue we have is that, depending on the weather, we take either the subway or ride our bike. We won't be eligible for both transit checks and the bike act, (you can only participate in one program), so we'll have to choose.
Regardless, it seems like a step in the right direction. Even if its backer, Oregon Democrat Congressman Earl Blumenauer, has been supporting the bill for seven years, and it took a financial crisis for it to finally pass.
photos: via stock.xchng
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
This sounds interesting. I'll probably do some research on how to make my employer aware of it. I bike to work almost every day. It keeps me in shape and I don't get to work pulling my hair out because of traffic. By the way, it took a financial crisis for the bill to pass because it's a pork bill - a pet project attached to other legislature that gets passed. (don't crucify me for this comment, it's just a fact!) Still, any tax break is a good tax break!
view babzer's profile
Well... it's a pet project, but it's not really one that ultimately costs the taxpayers money all over the country but only benefits one little town, and which costs a lot of money. This truly a kick in the pants to get people behaving in a new, different way. I wouldn't call this pork.
view Curtis's profile