Tired of having your morning PATH commute sidetracked by car equipment problems? A new bill introduced by Senator Kip Bateman (R) could incentivize telecommuting by providing tax credits to companies that allow their workers residing in New Jersey to work from home. The credit would be equal to 1% of the telecommuting employee’s salary for the hours they do their job from home.
“It’s good for the environment, cuts down on carbon emissions, and it allows employees to work from home. It saves a lot of hours in a day because many times people commute one to two hours a day,” says Sen. Bateman as cited by CBS New York.
At a time when Jersey City is seeing a flood of new rental towers and residents, this bill could help ease the congestion not only on the PATH train, but also on NJ Transit and the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. In addition to saving money on gas and train fares, remote workers could also help drive their local economies now that they’ll be spending more time in their neighborhoods.
As someone who worked from home for 5+ years, I can say it’s the greatest thing ever. The first few weeks might be rocky as you learn to ignore disruptions and carve out a personal work space, but once you’re acclimated there’s no looking back. Best of all — you get to skip that life-sucking commute to-and-from work every day. —CBS New York
(Image: WSJ)
