EAST CORK COMMUTERS URGED TO EXAMINE TAXSAVER TRANSPORT TICKETS – DAVID STANTON

Anyone using public transport for travel to work to Cork city and beyond on a regular basis should look into Taxsaver ticket options says Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton.

‘Many people who regularly use public transport to travel to work can significantly reduce their transport costs through taxsaver tickets. This scheme basically entitles you to tax relief on your tickets as the cost is paid before tax is levied which means you do not pay Income Tax, Universal Social Charge (USC) or PRSI on the ticket price. This can result in savings of up to 52% depending on your annual salary.

‘I would urge commuters in the East Cork area to look into this scheme to see if they can qualify. There are a number of different rail and bus options available for transport in the Cork area and tickets are available on a monthly or annual basis. Rail users travelling from stops on the Midleton and Cobh to Cork City routes can get tickets which cover Irish Rail services only or Irish Rail services into the city and onward travel around the city on Bus Eireann services.

‘Bus commuters will be aware of the new Leap card which was recently introduced for services around Cork City. Anyone living in the Green Zone which covers suburban areas from Carrigtwohill in the east to Ballincollig in the west and Crosshaven in the south and Cloghroe in the north can avail of a Bus Eireann Green Zone ticket. Currently this option does not extend to Bus Eireann Service users from Midleton, Ballincurra, Watergrasshill and other areas but I understand from recent contact with Bus Eireann that they hope to extend Leap Card zones to more areas soon.

‘Anyone interested in should speak to their employer about this as the employer must register their company and apply for an employee to become eligible however, in addition to the employees saving money on income tax, USC and PRSI costs the employer also saves as no employer PRSI of 10.75% is levied on the cost of the ticket.

‘For full details of the TaxSaver scheme and options available people should log on to www.taxsaver.ie. I believe it offers a great incentive for people to use public transport as many people will be able to save hundreds of euros per year on travel costs. At times of high fuel costs and rising car insurance and all the other costs associated with motoring, I would encourage people to look at the viability and cost of using our public transport system which is efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.