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Blumenthal Wants To Put Commuter Tax Benefit Back On Track

BRIDGEPORT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Many rail commuters figure they're doing the right thing by using mass transit and leaving their cars at home. But the truth is car commuters are receiving a greater tax benefit.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says it's unfair.

The Connecticut Democrat told WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau on Monday that he's pushing for Congress to restore the full rail commuter benefit that expired last year, giving all commuters "parity in the tax treatment they receive."

Blumenthal Wants To Put Commuter Tax Benefit Back On Track

"If we can push this measure through the Congress by the end of the year, it would go backward -- that is, retroactively -- for all 2014, and it would extend into 2015," Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal said that rail riders currently receive about $130 a month in tax write-offs while car commuters are eligible for $250.

Last week in New York, Sen. Charles Schumer, one of Blumenthal's closest allies in the Senate, made a similar appeal to lawmakers.

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