By way of the New York Times comes news that the temporary boost in the mass transit benefit may come to an end if Congress does not renew it before the end of 2010.
Presently, mass transit commuters may deduct up to $230 of their monthly costs. (Note: commuters who travel by car may also deduct up to $230 of their monthly costs. But that benefit isn’t in jeopardy.) The temporary boost in the mass transit deduction is due to the efforts of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who added it as a rider in early 2009 to the stimulus bill.
Senator Schumer is trying to make the benefit permanent, but according to Streetsblog, it has just 17 sponsors. A House version of the bill, sponsored by Massachusetts representative Jim McGovern (D), has 47 sponsors.
This may not necessarily impact commuters who solely use Metro (a monthly unlimited ride pass is $75 . But travelers who use Metrolink or other commuter lines may be affected.
We here at The Source will keep you posted.
Does the reduction of monthly mass transit deduction from $230 to $120 have implications for you? Let us know in the comments.
Categories: Transportation News
Federal government employees were/are getting up to the $230, so I hope it does go down. I’m tired of subsidizing them getting more than what I get..
This only affects people whose employers actually pay for more than $120 of transit passes per month, in that the benefit isn’t considered part of your salary up to that level. You can’t deduct it if you pay for it yourself. It would be awesome if this affected more people, but most employers aren’t that generous.