[sustran] fwd: Pay rise for not driving to work!

SUSTRAN Resource Centre sustran at po.jaring.my
Mon May 15 11:07:46 JST 2000


Some interesting American news forwarded from the alt-transp list.
Apologies to anyone seeing this more than once.
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Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 14:22:48 EDT
From: CarShare1 at aol.com
Subject: alt-transp A PAY RAISE FOR NOT DRIVING TO WORK

Press release: 
Maryland Law Signed Today First In Nation To Offer Incentives Not To Drive

(May 11, 2000, Annapolis, MD) Maryland Governor Parris Glendening today 
signed into law a first-in-the-nation measure that gives employers a strong 
positive incentive to pay their employees added income if the employee agrees 
to give up their parking spot at work. 

It is also the first law in the nation to extend tax credits to 
not-for-profit organizations, such as schools and medical centers, if they 
pay for employee transit benefits or other 'pay-me-not-to-drive' incentives. 
The tax credit is valued at half of whatever an employer pays towards an 
employee's transit or vanpool commuting costs, up to $30 per employee each 
month. Employers can also take the tax credit if they boost the pay of 
employees by the fair value or cost of a parking space that employees pledge 
not to use, typically $3 or more a day. The measure (SB 244), supported by 
both business and environmental groups, will help address traffic and air 
pollution problems and give a special pay boost for lower wage workers while 
saving employers money. 

"With this law, Maryland has established a new national model for smart 
commuter incentives. It helps level the playing field for commuter choices so 
we can all spend less time stuck in traffic and breathing dirty air," said 
Michael Replogle, transportation director of Environmental Defense. "This is 
a lot cheaper, faster, and more effective way to address congestion and 
pollution problems than building new highways."

The law goes into effect January 1st 2001.  There is an existing tax credit 
that applies only to transit and vanpools and to for profit employers which 
took effect January 1 2000. 

Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based in New 
York, represents more than 300,000 members.  Since 1967 we have linked 
science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and 
cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems.

Contact:  Michael Replogle 202 387-3500
Lisa Swann 202 387-3500  
-------------------------------


Distributed for the purpose of education and research.

A. Rahman Paul BARTER
SUSTRAN Resource Centre
Information services for the Sustainable Transport Action Network
for Asia and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network)
sustran at po.jaring.my,  http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran



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