It’s long been the case in the U.S. that companies could get tax breaks on money they spent assisting employees in driving cars to/from work (including the vehicle itself, fuel, parking, etc.). Some crazy hippies or eco-terrorists or some such have proposed the radical idea that similar tax breaks should also exist in support of people cycling to work. H.R. 1498 would (according to the League of American Cyclists):
provide bicyclists with a similar tax benefit to that currently enjoyed by transit users and car parkers, through voluntary, employer-run programs. This small incentive to ride rather than drive to and from work should be seen as an important element of broader efforts to tackle climate change as well as traffic congestion, obesity and other critical challenges.
That clearly sounds like a terrible idea – it’s obviously my Great American Right to be fat, lazy, and drive a big-ass SUV whenever humanly possible, and lord knows the tax code should encourage such behavior whenever and however possible.
Wacko loonies who would actually wish to support such nonsense, however, can read the text of the bill or even contact your congress critters and publicly express your silly ideas.
I did, and it was fun!
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