closetbiker
03-23-03, 05:43 PM
Boston Globe
Drivers get the tax breaks, cyclists don't; congressman wants to change that
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press, 3/22/2003 19:42
WASHINGTON (AP) It's a paradox that has long puzzled cyclists.
Commuters who burn a precious resource oil to drive to work get a tax break.
Those who use their own muscle power to pedal bikes to the office do not.
With the war in Iraq and gas prices soaring, cycling advocates think they
have found an answer that both parties can embrace: give bikers a tax break.
''Why should we discriminate in terms of tax treatment for somebody who is
not polluting the air, not causing traffic congestion and not taking away
from our petroleum reserves?'' asked Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.
Biking to work is cheaper than driving or taking a bus, he added, ''but it's
not free.''
Blumenauer, 54, founder and chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Bike
Caucus, has biked to his Capitol Hill office for years.
Now he hopes to give cycling commuters the same tax advantages available to
those who drive or use mass transit.
Currently, employers may offer a commuting tax-exemption benefit totaling
$180 for qualified parking plans or $100 for transit and van-pool expenses.
The Bike Commuter Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., would extend
those benefits to workers who commute by bicycle.
With gas prices now at $2 per gallon or even higher, ''the notion of energy
conservation should have some broader appeal,'' Blumenauer said.
Budget officials estimate the bike bill could cost as much as $114 million a
year in lost revenue a fraction of the $3.7 billion annual cost of tax breaks
for drivers and mass transit users.
Cycling long has been popular in Oregon, where hundreds of miles of bike
boulevards, paths and lanes take commuters and casual cyclists through leafy
neighborhoods, along the Columbia River and across bridges spanning the
Willamette River.
But cycling advocates say passion for pedaling has gone national.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, nearly 1 million U.S. workers
commute regularly by bicycle. The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics
lists bicycles second only to cars as a preferred mode of transportation.
Biking's growing popularity was evident during a National Bike Summit this
month in Washington. Cyclists from 47 states converged on the city for three
days; it was the biggest turnout in the event's three-year history.
The summit's popularity coincides with growth of the bike caucus. The
bipartisan group, established in 1996, now includes more than 100 House
members. The Senate has started its own group with more than a dozen members
so far.
Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., a caucus member, calls a cycling a key part of
his life.
''It's my relaxation, it's my personal therapy and it's my fitness,'' said
Oberstar, 68.
It also is good public policy, he says. In the past decade, spurred largely
by the bike lobby, Congress has more than quadrupled spending on bike
projects to nearly $2 billion. That has helped build almost 20,000 miles of
bike trails, put bike racks on buses and establish biker safety programs
nationwide.
:beer:
Drivers get the tax breaks, cyclists don't; congressman wants to change that
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press, 3/22/2003 19:42
WASHINGTON (AP) It's a paradox that has long puzzled cyclists.
Commuters who burn a precious resource oil to drive to work get a tax break.
Those who use their own muscle power to pedal bikes to the office do not.
With the war in Iraq and gas prices soaring, cycling advocates think they
have found an answer that both parties can embrace: give bikers a tax break.
''Why should we discriminate in terms of tax treatment for somebody who is
not polluting the air, not causing traffic congestion and not taking away
from our petroleum reserves?'' asked Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.
Biking to work is cheaper than driving or taking a bus, he added, ''but it's
not free.''
Blumenauer, 54, founder and chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Bike
Caucus, has biked to his Capitol Hill office for years.
Now he hopes to give cycling commuters the same tax advantages available to
those who drive or use mass transit.
Currently, employers may offer a commuting tax-exemption benefit totaling
$180 for qualified parking plans or $100 for transit and van-pool expenses.
The Bike Commuter Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., would extend
those benefits to workers who commute by bicycle.
With gas prices now at $2 per gallon or even higher, ''the notion of energy
conservation should have some broader appeal,'' Blumenauer said.
Budget officials estimate the bike bill could cost as much as $114 million a
year in lost revenue a fraction of the $3.7 billion annual cost of tax breaks
for drivers and mass transit users.
Cycling long has been popular in Oregon, where hundreds of miles of bike
boulevards, paths and lanes take commuters and casual cyclists through leafy
neighborhoods, along the Columbia River and across bridges spanning the
Willamette River.
But cycling advocates say passion for pedaling has gone national.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, nearly 1 million U.S. workers
commute regularly by bicycle. The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics
lists bicycles second only to cars as a preferred mode of transportation.
Biking's growing popularity was evident during a National Bike Summit this
month in Washington. Cyclists from 47 states converged on the city for three
days; it was the biggest turnout in the event's three-year history.
The summit's popularity coincides with growth of the bike caucus. The
bipartisan group, established in 1996, now includes more than 100 House
members. The Senate has started its own group with more than a dozen members
so far.
Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., a caucus member, calls a cycling a key part of
his life.
''It's my relaxation, it's my personal therapy and it's my fitness,'' said
Oberstar, 68.
It also is good public policy, he says. In the past decade, spurred largely
by the bike lobby, Congress has more than quadrupled spending on bike
projects to nearly $2 billion. That has helped build almost 20,000 miles of
bike trails, put bike racks on buses and establish biker safety programs
nationwide.
:beer: