European workers saddle up for tax benefit scheme

GETTING paid for going to work may sound too good to be true, but it’s part of an increasingly popular scheme for commuters across Europe.

Employers in Belgium, the Netherlands and other European countries are rewarding staff if they come to work on a bicycle, paying them for every kilometre they cycle, all in an effort to promote environmentalism, not to mention a healthier lifestyle.

In Belgium, cycling commuters are being paid 20 cents per kilometre, where as those in the Netherlands can earn 15 cents and participants in Britain up to 20 pence per mile — all of it tax-free.

In Belgium, a popular cycling nation and home to five-time Tour de France and Giro D’Italia winner Eddie Merckx, finance ministry figures show that more than 270,000 people took part in the scheme last year, up from 140,000 in 2006.

Last year, that meant the Belgian taxman paid out €43 million to those who bill for cycling to work.

“Higher oil prices and environmental awareness contribute to having more cyclists on the road,” said Dieter Snauwaert, co-ordinator of the bike-to-work scheme of the Flemish cyclists’ union in Belgium.

One of the most successful corporate proponents has been Belgian discount supermarket chain Colruyt, which has 2,100 participants.

Company spokesman Victor De Meester said that apart from employees being healthier there were also other advantages.

“The more people cycle to work the fewer parking spaces you have to offer. It’s not so easy, especially in urban areas, to expand parking spaces,” he said.