Raise the pre-tax allowance for mass transit expenses to be equal to the pre-tax allowance for parking expenses.

In 2011, up to $230 per month of mass transit expenses could be paid with pre tax dollars. This was the same as the pre tax amount for parking expenses that year.

For 2012, the parking allowance was raised to $240, while the mass-transit allowance was slashed to $125.

Encouraging more people to drive to work rather than take mass transit will only increase congestion on the roads, increase pollution, and retard development of mass transit infrastructure. This seems like the opposite of the direction we should be heading.

I hope that in your next budget proposal, you can restore the mass transit benefit to parity with that for parking.