Talk:Green commuting
From P2RxWiki
Not sure how much detail you want for each of these areas of your Wiki, but here's some useful information to include somewhere:
Commuter Tax Benefit increased from $115/month to $230/month as of 1 February 2009.
As the SF Bay Area's BART explains this federal tax change: "Internal Revenue Code, Section 132(f)—Qualified Transportation Fringe. As of February 2009, the tax code allows tax-free transportation fringe benefits of up to $230 per month per employee for transit expenses and up to $230 per month for qualified parking (including parking at BART stations. Qualified parking is defined as parking at or near an employer's worksite, or at a facility from which employee commutes via transit, vanpool or carpool). Commuters can receive both the transit and parking benefits (up to $460 per month)."
Bicycle Commuting Fringe Tax Benefit
Embedded in the Stimulus package was the following fringe tax benefit for employers to offer to employees: up to $20/month reimbursement for qualified expensese for regular employee bicycle commuting, active as of 1 January 2009.
Qualified expenses are: "with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee's residence and place of employment."
The exact language of HR1424 Sec. 211 is here:
http://www.commuteconnection.com/assets/pdf/Bicycle%20Commuter%20Federal%20Benefit.pdf
Environmental Benefits of Green Commuting: Some Resources
Using EPA's Feb 2005 MOBILE6.2 data and assumptions (http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05004.htm), the average US car that drives a mile emits 0.956 lbs of CO2. That is a basis for determining the value of car miles not driven, especially if bicycled.
