Q. What do you do when your bill isn’t gaining popularity?
A. Add it as an item to a much larger bill that is absolutely necessary.
That’s what Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden did for bike commuters last week. After seven long years, the bicycle commuter tax provision has finally passed both the House and Senate as part of the $700 billion financial bailout bill package and was signed into law by President Bush. Effective January 1st, 2009 Employers may reimburse employees, tax free, for “reasonable” expenses related to their bike commute, including equipment purchases, bike purchases, repairs, and storage if the bicycle is used as a “substantial part” of the commuter’s trip to work for the month. Ironically, neither Blumenauer nor Wyden voted in favor of the massive bailout bill. That’s politics for you! Read more at sfgate.com or SFbike.org.
twitter.com/timbuk2
2 Comments
Yeah as if companies are going to be handing out my for my bike tune-up, new inner tubes and such…. it is a nice thought but the whole leaving it up to the companies means most won’t!
sadly
I don’t own a car and everywhere I go, I go on two wheels. Does the word “earmark” ring a bell? I hate to say it but these types of legislative tactics suck. Sorry commuters, but it’s true!!! BTW, way to go bringing back the color I wanted in bag builder THE SAME DAY I bought a bag on ebay. WTF?