RACING UNION - do something

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

from waba but not up on their web site yet:

Act Now: Support HB 1826 for Bicycle Commuting Tax Credits

The Washigton Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) urge all Virginia cyclists to support HB 1826 which is now before the Virginia General Assembly. HB 1826 would promote bicycle commuting by encouraging employers to provide bicycle commuting accommodations at the workplace and by offering a modest income tax credit of $15/month for employees who commute by bicycle on 10 or more days per month.

HB 1826 proposes two different types of income tax credit for expenditures related to bicycle commuting

an employer tax credit up to $5,000 for expenditures to provide employee bicycle parking racks and/or showers at the worksite and
an employee tax credit of $15 per month for commuting by bicycle at least ten days in any given month.

WABA and VBF strongly support both proposed tax credits, but we have suggested expanding the employer credit to include rented as well as purchased facilities, to include all types of suitable bicycle parking facilities (not just racks), and to include employee clothes changing and storage facilities as well as employee showers.

The bill has been referred to the House of Delegates Finance Committee and will reportedly be heard by Finance Subcommittee #3 on Wednesday, Jan. 24 and by the full Finance Committee as early as Monday, Jan. 29. A favorable fiscal impact statement has already been issued by the Virginia Department of Taxation.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1) Ask your Virginia delegate to co-patron HB 1826 before the bill is heard by the full House Finance Committee. You can identify and contact your delegate from:

http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

2) Ask your delegate to vote for HB 1826 at every opportunity. If your delegate (or a nearby delegate) is on the House Finance Committee

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+com+H10

and/or on Finance Subcommittee #3 http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+sub+H10003, ask them NOW to vote for HB 1826 when it comes before Subcommittee #1 (on Jan. 24) and the full House Finance Committee (possibly on Jan. 29).

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION:

HB 1826 bill history:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+sum+HB1826

HB 1826 text as introduced:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HB1826

1/23/2007 4:51:33 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

1/24/2007 4:25:50 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

I'm not supporting that unless the tax credit is linked to environmental benefits. Smaller people burn less fuel, and emit fewer pollutants into the air as a result of performing work, i.e. pedaling. While it's great to encourage people to ride bicycles, encouraging fat oafs like me - who often ride relatively quickly thus burning huge amounts of energy and emitting enormous amounts of CO2, heat, and other pollutants (nevermind after I've been eating burritos and drinking a few beers) is just socially irresponsible, trading one evil for a lesser one.

Moreover I have a strong interest in market-based solutions to environmental ills. So yes, even though I wouldn't benefit from a linkage of lack of lard to lucrative lucre largess, I am witholding my support until my pathetic riding and flatulence is tied to the environmental pollution credits market. Yes, I'd gladly pay 20 or 30 cents to mitigate all the heavy breathing I do on hills. Even if it reduced my tax credit to $14.80 or $14.75 a month.

Yep, it's a big sacrifice. But if that's what it takes to save Mother Earth, then so be it. It just means I'll have to raid the "give a penny take a penny" at the 7-11 a couple times a month, that's all. It's a sacrifice we should all be willing to make.

Jim

Name
E-mail
Home page

	Remember Me
Comment (HTML not allowed)
Enter the code shown (prevents robots):

On this page....

Navigation