Tax deduction for cycling to work? New campaign gaining momentum

Dansk Industri among key advocates of proposal

A new campaign launched by the Cyklistforbundet cyclists’ federation  has turned heads this week by proposing that people should receive a tax deduction for cycling to work.

The point is one of four on a campaign aimed at making it more attractive to hop on the old iron in Denmark. Other points include subsidising electric bicycles and reducing car speeds in urban areas (see video below).

READ MORE: Cycling like a Copenhagener can save lives, study shows

And with Parliament elections on the horizon, Cyklistforbundet head Klaus Bondam hopes the campaign will become an aspect of the election race that promises to concern climate issues more than ever before.

“I think we can convince the government that funds need to be set aside. Previously we’ve had the ‘Cycle Billion’, which aimed to improve infrastructure from 2009-2014,” Bondam told TV2 News.

“You could easily imagine that we change the transport deduction so people receive a deduction for using public transport and for cycling – instead of how it is today, which is a deduction if you live more than 12 km away from work.”

READ MORE: More investment needed in Copenhagen cycling infrastructure, review suggests

A fraction of car cost
One of the other points of the proposal is for municipalities to be granted a state-funded pool of 200 million kroner annually for projects that promote cycling. According to Bondam, that’s the equivalent of 2 kroner going to bicycles for every 100 kroner going to car infrastructure.

The campaign has attracted the blessing of one of the heavy hitters in business, the national confederation of industry, Dansk Industri (DI).

“Nationally, we could save 267,000 sick days annually if we got more people on the bicycle,” Michael Svane – the head of the Danish Transport Federation, which is one of DI’s eight trade organisations – told TV2 News.

“I support it as an individual and as a DI representative because we have conducted a survey for what cycling means for the mobility of the business sector, and it shows that traffic is reduced by 6 percent on the most congested roads (not including motorways) if we can get 10 percent more people cycling to work.”

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs