The Equity Factor

Uncle Sam Hates Mass Transit Riders, Loves Parking Lots

The maximum monthly tax exemption for mass transit commuters has dropped from $245 to $130. Drivers saw a modest increase from $245 to $250.

The halcyon days of American transit. Credit: Flickr user Drew Jacksich

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There are many reasons to hate America’s tax code — starting with the gluttons rolling in cash on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley — but the government has taken it even further in 2014. They’re cutting the tax benefits for the millions of Americans who take mass transit to work.

The maximum monthly tax exemption has dropped from $245 to $130. That’s bad enough. Worse, the maximum for drivers’ parking expenses has risen, albeit minimally, from $245 to $250.

So the government is, in a way, incentivizing driving to work while knocking mass transit commuters, many of whom you could argue are in much lower tax brackets. But all isn’t lost. The commuter benefits are part of a larger bill with other tax benefits that have expired or on their way out, according to the Washington Post. Lawmakers have said they’ll work on the extenders bill, as it’s called, early this year.

Even if they do return the benefits to the higher levels, many workers will still take a hit. From the Post:

“Unfortunately, many people will lose not only the January, February and March tax break but probably into April, too,” said Dan Neuburger, president of commuter services at WageWorks. He added that even if Congress addresses this by March, as hoped, it will take weeks to administer the benefits. That means most commuters may not see the higher tax break until later in the spring.

So, there you have it: Drive to work, like the IRS apparently wants you to.

The Equity Factor is made possible with the support of the Surdna Foundation.

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Bill Bradley is a writer and reporter living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in Deadspin, GQ, and Vanity Fair, among others.

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Tags: public transportationequity factortaxescarscommuting

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