After speaking with many commuters in the First District, this week I introduced H.R. 4348 the Telework Tax Incentive Act, to help alleviate traffic congestion, ease the burden on our transportation infrastructure, and help stem the effects on our environment from pollution. If passed and signed into law, the bill would provide eligible taxpayers with an annual tax credit for qualified teleworking expenses paid or incurred by the taxpayer that year, up to $1,000.
It's clear that when it comes to commuting and alleviating traffic congestion, there is no silver bullet. A number of constituents have made the point to me, that if teleworking were an alternative to going to the office they'd jump at the opportunity. This is clearly understandable in that commuters currently spend an average of 8.5 days of each year on the road.
Specifically, under the introduced bill those who perform services for an employer under a teleworking arrangement where the employee works at least 75 days per year would be eligible to receive the tax credit. The tax credit would be awarded for expenses such as furnishings and electronic information equipment which folks need in order to telework.
Studies have found that congestion on the Nation's roads resulted in costs of over $87,000,000 in 2007 to drivers in the Nation's 439 urban areas based upon the extra travel time and fuel used,. That's an increase of more than 50% over the previous decade. Adding more cars to the road is not viable for the environment or our infrastructure; teleworking can bring some relief to this issue.
Additionally, it's been found that if 40% of the U.S. workers who have jobs that fit with teleworking were to work at home half the time, that would save 450 million barrels of oil, reduce greenhouse gases by 64 million tons, and reduce highway maintenance costs by over $3 billion annually.
In 2003, 77 million U.S. workers used a computer at work, that's 55.5% of those employed in the U.S. Passage of this legislation is a win for commuters and companies alike. This is a commonsense solution to the current way we do business in this country. As we enter the second session of the 111th Congress, I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation. Although this is by no means the final solution, it's one which could have some immediate and positive effects if enacted.
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He was elected to his first full term in November 2008 and serves on the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee where he is the Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.
