Charles,
I wholeheartedly agree with your idea. As you know, I don't own nor ever have owned an automobile. I walk, ride and cycle. I, too believe that an award like a tax break for walkers or at least people who don't own cars would be in order. Not everybody can walk or cycle. I acknowledge that. But, your point is excellent.
@2: you seem confused as to what a tax BREAK means. if you don't utilize a taxable service, i.e. a car, then you're not liable for that tax at all. it's not a BREAK, which would mean you use the car, but don't have to pay the full tax, it's reduced for this or that reason.
I wish I could walk to work, but finding a job within a reasonable walking radius is a limiting prospect, as is finding a job in a good neighborhood and then moving there.
Regional thinking about walkability is important too. Consider that no matter how dense and walkable Seattle is, it accounts for about a fifth of our region's population. In 1993 we established growth management with legal boundaries. The region needs to work on what's boing on in the other 80% of our region. No matter what happens in Seattle, if the rest of our region does nothing to reconfigure its morphology, we'll still be an auto dependent region.
I'm only stating this because the work of making Seattle more ped friendly is picking the low hanging fruit. A much greater challenge is retrofitting the rest of the region to reclaim it from the car.
Not everyone has a job at the Stranger where you needn't show up at a particular time and it doesn't matter if you show up looking like you walked to work in various types of weather.
I feel like not spending any money on a car is in its own way a tax break (no registration fees, gas taxes, sales taxes on oil changes, etc). No need to give me more money for using my feet to get everywhere.
I guess what I mean is: not owning a car is its own reward.
I wholeheartedly agree with your idea. As you know, I don't own nor ever have owned an automobile. I walk, ride and cycle. I, too believe that an award like a tax break for walkers or at least people who don't own cars would be in order. Not everybody can walk or cycle. I acknowledge that. But, your point is excellent.
Unless you LIKE paying for sick Boomers.
Pass.
I'm only stating this because the work of making Seattle more ped friendly is picking the low hanging fruit. A much greater challenge is retrofitting the rest of the region to reclaim it from the car.
The car is an extension of the home.
It is a horizontal elevator.
I guess what I mean is: not owning a car is its own reward.