Commuter association endorses Senate Finance Committee's action on restoring tax benefit

The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) endorsed the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance's action yesterday to pass the Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act, which would restore transit benefit parity for commuters.

The legislation would extend nearly 50 tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013. Included is the transit benefit, which would be restored at $250 a month through the end of 2015.

"Establishing parity between the parking and transit/vanpool portions of this benefit is the right thing to do," said ACT Executive Director Henry Wallmeyer in a press release. "Tax policy should not promote driving to work over using transit."

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) championed the legislation, which has bipartisan support. At the same time, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) laid out his plan on how to address tax extenders. In a memo sent to Ways and Means Committee members, Camp said he was in the process of organizing hearings to consider which tax extenders should be made permanent, ACT officials said. Camp's memo said he would begin holding hearings and marking up tax extenders in April and May.