[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E238-E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF THE TRANSIT TAX PARITY ACT OF 2015

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2015

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Transit Tax Parity 
Act of 2015. The bill would expand federal commuter tax benefits for 
transit and make them equal to those for parking. Currently, the 
transit benefit is half the level of the parking benefit. This bill 
would permanently raise the transit benefit to equal the parking 
benefit for commuters, in an effort to equalize the commuter options 
and to reduce congestion and pollution.
  This bill would encourage commuters to use transit by equalizing tax 
benefits for mass transit and parking benefits at a time when transit 
systems have precipitously lost riders because of the inequality in 
benefits. Congress did the sensible thing when it increased the 
commuter benefit cap to be the same as parking in previous years, but 
when that parity ended, transit benefits decreased to $130, just over 
half the benefits for driving. The decrease in transit benefits has led 
to a striking reduction in transit system ridership across the country. 
For example, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 
(WMATA), the second largest transit system in the nation, runs 
throughout the national capital region and has seen a 25 percent 
decrease in Metrorail commuters, with riders switching to alternative 
means of commuting once they reach the

[[Page E239]]

$130 limit. Congressional action is urgently needed to make federal tax 
benefits for transit and parking equal at $250.
  Millions of people commute in and out of cities every day, bolstering 
the American economy and improving the overall well-being of the 
country. Why would we want to encourage people to drive rather than use 
mass transit? At the very least, there is no excuse for preferential 
treatment of driving. There are also environmental benefits that result 
from encouraging commuters to use mass transit and commuter rail 
instead of driving. Greater use of transit is consistent with the goals 
of reducing pollution from auto emissions, improving public health and 
reducing traffic congestion, which adds huge costs to the American 
economy and disrupts family life.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

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