Discounted rail passes for part time commuters.

namloc1980

I just caught the end of Ryan on Newstalk and he said taxsaver changes would be considered in future budgets 🙄. Anyone else catch it?

Peregrine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118010446#Comment_118010446

The NTA definitely wrote up a proposal for the Department of Transport who definitely brought it to the Department of Finance. I presume they shredded it.

AngryLips

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118010389#Comment_118010389

A part time taxsaver ticket would still be a monthly or annual pass, it sounds like it's more a case of semantics than a legislative constraint to me

namloc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118010782#Comment_118010782

Eamon Ryan said it'll be considered in future budgets so seemingly there's no urgency anyway.

ongarboy

Bur if you're only commuting 2 out of 5 days a week going forward and WFH for example the remaining 3 days, wouldn't a Leap card per fare for bus/train use for those 2 days each week plus the occasional social /non work trip be cheaper overall per year then the 41% discount (or whatever it is for those on the top rate) of an annual bus and rail pass so is there a need for a new tax treatment for part time annual commuting?

bikeman1

A far more simple and equitable solution would be to give a flat 20% credit (the same as health expenses) for ALL public transport journeys made in the year.

This would be linked through a leap card type card, linked to your name and PPS that can be easily verified at the end of the year online for submission to Revenue to make a claim.

This would really give an incentive for people to get onto public transport, including for going on leisure journeys and inter city instead of taking the almighty car.

Tax savers can remain in place for full time workers in its current form and provide tax relief at the tax payers marginal rate.

Peregrine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118011945#Comment_118011945

How is that simple? Drop the weird tax relief thing and just lower fares like a normal country.

loyatemu

fairest approach would be to take the money allocated across the board and use it to reduce fares across the board, maybe with an emphasis on reducing the weekly caps to encourage commuting by public transport. or just make the annual tickets much cheaper.

namloc1980

Any idea when the Fares Determination is due out? Seems to be delayed.

Peregrine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118141929#Comment_118141929

Next week

LXFlyer

Anne Graham indicated last week at the Oireachtas Transport committee meeting that this type of ticket wouldn’t be happening this year due to technical issues, so I’d advise not holding your breath!

The debate isn’t on the Oireachtas website just yet but you can watch it back here:

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/video-archive/committees/4840

I think it was when Kieran O’Donnell was asking questions - you’ll have to scroll through to find that I’m afraid.

conordarcy

I would sell return trips by bulk in blocks of 50 through Taxsaver. You can then use them however you like.

50 return trips would cover a year of commuting 1 day/week, 100 would cover 2 days and so on.

The ticket would expire after 12 months.

namloc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118142096#Comment_118142096

That's disappointing that they can't mobilise a part time taxsaver type ticket. For me that makes getting the train more expensive than driving for the days I'll be in the office, even with Leap Card fares and higher petrol costs. 🚗

LXFlyer

Ok here’s what was said:

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_transport_and_communications/2021-11-03/speech/232/

Rúairi O Murchú:

Ms Graham gave a comprehensive answer to the Chair regarding ticketing and so forth. I will revisit the idea of changed circumstances, post pandemic, as regards weekly ticketing and all that. I know there has been some element of over and back in respect of this issue, which Ms Graham and other stakeholders have been involved in. Where are we on a saver-type ticket that might operate on the basis of people only using it for two days a month or over a period to suit the modern working set-up?

Anne Graham’s reply:

We are looking at that. We were hoping to provide something, but a significant technical development was required. We were already in the middle of a taxsaver project to deliver a better taxsaver solution generally, but we need to reconsider what we will provide as a taxsaver product in future and the level of charge that should be placed on a such a ticket. We have had to rethink that completely. We are very much aware that as people's travel patterns change, and we expect them to change post pandemic, we have to offer something different. We are now examining what that something different should be and whether it should be done through the taxsaver system. That is what we are considering at the moment. We are trying to see how we can deliver that as quickly as possible. There is a technical solution that we just have to work through in order to ensure we can deliver something.

She further indicated that she hoped this would be resolved next year.

namloc1980

This idea has been scrapped by the NTA. Useless shower.

https://twitter.com/CWeston_Indo/status/1488904144501018627?t=QOKV_fdVPdE_pmHBL_QMpQ&s=19

Repo101

The NTA are doing a great job of putting people off using public transport.

Daily rail ticket from Kildare is just under €27

Travel to Dublin by car is about €10 in Diesel return and €10 parking so I save money and time by using my car.

What exactly has Anne Graham achieved as the head of the NTA?

namloc1980

It's going to take them 3 months to figure out the 20% fare reduction which was announced as a cost of living measure last week. NTA are absolutely useless.