Correspondingly though, the high cost of a travel pass for the lower-paid is a significant barrier to them taking up employment. At the very most, the standard rate (or lower) tax-payer should be paying the same for their transport as somebody making 100 grand a year.
Changing the system over to a tax-credit would allow all workers to access public transport at the same cost. The present system is a strongly regressive tax measure.
In the overall scheme of things, it probably wouldn't cost very much as it would allow people from areas with poor employment prospects take up employment in areas where there is a shortage of workers.
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