Tax Fairness for Workers Act reaches 200 co-sponsors

The Tax Fairness for Workers Act has reached a milestone with its 200^th co-sponsor.

On Friday, Sept. 20, Rep. Timothy Kennedy, D-N.Y. signed on to support HR4963, which would reinstate the per diem tax deduction for employee truck drivers. Kennedy was the second lawmaker to co-sponsor the bill in September and the 11^th since mid-August.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., introduced the bipartisan bill in the House in July 2023. The Tax Fairness for Workers Act aims to ease the tax burden on workers by allowing them to deduct common employment expenses, such as travel and uniform costs.

The bill would allow a tax deduction from gross income for expenses incurred by an employee if those expenses are necessary to do the job.

HR4963 also would allow employee truck drivers to utilize a per diem tax deduction. Per diem is the daily allowance truckers receive to cover expenses, such as meals, when they are away from home.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated that deduction for company drivers, while self-employed truckers can still claim per diem. The Tax Fairness for Workers Act would enable employee drivers to utilize the credit also.

Since the tax deduction was taken away from company drivers, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has advocated for its return.

“The elimination of the per diem for company drivers has unfortunately increased the tax exposure for many hard-working Americans who make their living behind the wheel of a truck,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote in support of a previous version of the bill in 2019.

Although 200 lawmakers in support is a significant number, there is still more work to be done, as the House has a total of 435 representatives. As of Monday, Sept. 23, 192 Democrats and eight Republicans had pledged support.

A Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., and has 40 co-sponsors. LL