Holier than You on the Bogus Bicycle Commuter Act

[In a word, where you can get a $220 parking allowance for your car, a $115 mass transit allowance or a $20 biking allowance but you can only pick one, which one would you choose?]
...
One plus for LaHood - he co-sponsored the Bicycle Commuter Act. Of course, so did 64 other representatives, so it's not like he really stuck his neck out on that one. It did get snuck into the bailout bill, but I find it very humdrum. $20/month subsidy for people who bike to work. Great! Except that if you already participate in a pre-tax transit benefit, you can't take advantage. People who bike often are people who take transit, even if they aren't multi-modal commuters like the Caltrain bike cohort. For example, I know people in SF who bike to work, don't own a car, and also have a MUNI pass. A MUNI pass is $45. In order to get the bike benefit, they'd have to forfeit their much larger transit benefit. <a href="http://holierthanyou.blogspot.com/2008/12/bogus-bicycle-commuter-act.html">http://holierthanyou.blogspot.com/2008/12/bogus-bicycle-commuter-act.html</a>;

by B' Spokes

Like most people I live a hectic life and who has the time for much exercise? Thanks to xtracycle now I do. By using my bike for daily activities I can get things done and get an hour plus work out in 15 minutes extra of my time, not a bad deal and beats taking the extra time going to the gym. In case you are still having trouble being motivated; the National Center of Disease Control says that inactivity is the #2 killer in the United States just behind smoking. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_nutrition/ ) Get out there and start living life! I can carry home a full shopping cart of groceries, car pool two kids or just get lost in the great outdoors camping for a week. Well I got go, another outing this weekend.
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Share It!

Story Options

  • Holier than You on the Bogus Bicycle Commuter Act
  • 1 comments
Login required to comment
To the Author of this Post: You might want to ask a lawyer whether you are violating a federal statute (e.g. conspiracy to commit tax fraud). Some employees reselling transit vouchers have been fired. Whoever sold you the passes is violating tax laws if they did not claim the income--I am not sure about your legal liability. FYI: The subsidy for parking is greater than for transit because before the transit benefit even existed, many employers were simply providing free parking to their employees--usually on company owned land (e.g. shopping centers, military bases, factories, office buildings). Statute was intended to equalize the benefit by allowing some sort of cash payment to employees for transit. The limit is explained--in part--by people like you who advocate resale (in violation of the tax laws). They set limit low enough so that most people use their entire benefit--otherwise, many more people would be tempted to misuse the passes.