Mass-transit commuters getting screwed by the taxman in 2014
This is especially galling when you consider that people without cars tend to have less money than people with cars. So why should they get a smaller deduction for their transportation costs when those costs haven't decreased?
Okay, I read the article and was a little surprised by the actual numbers. Usually, as you say, penalties against mass-transit hit the poor.
But in Boston, the people this will disproportionately hit are folks from wealthy suburbs. It's pretty hard to pay more than $130/mo for public transportation unless you are taking the commuter rail or the express commuter buses to and from the 'burbs. It's not exclusively wealthy 'burbs -- the Lowell, North Shore, Providence, and Worcester lines serve poor communities -- but if you're commuting daily on the T from those places, you're... already not saving money over owning a car, and probably not all that poor. The commuter rail and express bus routes strike me as luxury alternatives to driving in Boston traffic, not cost-savings measures.
Meanwhile, us poor folks are paying (if we can afford it!) $70/mo for all-you-can-eat "LinkPasses" good on all subways and city buses. Bus-only passes are $40/mo.
How does the new $130/mo limit square against mass transit prices in NYC?
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This is especially galling when you consider that people without cars tend to have less money than people with cars. So why should they get a smaller deduction for their transportation costs when those costs haven't decreased?
Okay, I read the article and was a little surprised by the actual numbers. Usually, as you say, penalties against mass-transit hit the poor.
But in Boston, the people this will disproportionately hit are folks from wealthy suburbs. It's pretty hard to pay more than $130/mo for public transportation unless you are taking the commuter rail or the express commuter buses to and from the 'burbs. It's not exclusively wealthy 'burbs -- the Lowell, North Shore, Providence, and Worcester lines serve poor communities -- but if you're commuting daily on the T from those places, you're... already not saving money over owning a car, and probably not all that poor. The commuter rail and express bus routes strike me as luxury alternatives to driving in Boston traffic, not cost-savings measures.
Meanwhile, us poor folks are paying (if we can afford it!) $70/mo for all-you-can-eat "LinkPasses" good on all subways and city buses. Bus-only passes are $40/mo.
How does the new $130/mo limit square against mass transit prices in NYC?