The Dear Urban Cyclists: Go Play In Traffic part of the headline is the one authored by P.J. O’Rourke in his recent article in the on-line edition of The Wall Street Journal.
Not exactly the same point of view – literally or figuratively – as that taken in the picture below from the blog post What You Missed This Morning…In Chicago. It’s a view many cycling commuters get while heading south on their way to work in downtown Chicago … on nice days, that is.
P.J. O’Rourke, of course, is the noted political satirist and author, whose article was tagged by The Wall Street Journal as "P.J. O’Rourke on the Scourge of Bike Lanes".
Some people "get" Mr. Rourke and others don’t as represented by the 204 comments (to date) on his article. You can decide for yourself.
The second part of the headline, "but don’t forget about tax-favored commuter transit benefits" is my unabashed way to leverage off of Mr. O’Rourke’s article to segue to the topic of commuter transit benefits about which I have written before. (That it may also may help improve SEO is another plus).
Simply stated, under Section 132 of the Internal Revenue Code, an employer may reimburse an employee up to $20 per month for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee in conjunction with his or her commute to work by bike.
It’s also a timely reminder about the availability of tax-free benefits on this April 15, the traditional tax return filing deadline. This year, however, IRS has approved April 18, 2011 as the tax filing deadline for 2010 personal tax returns and extension requests in observation of Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia.
You can find additional information on the Bicycle Commuter Tax Provision: Frequently Asked Questions posted on The League of American Bicyclists website.
