Charles,
I wholeheartedly agree with your idea. As you know, I don't own nor ever have owned an automobile. I walk, ride and cycle. I, too believe that an award like a tax break for walkers or at least people who don't own cars would be in order. Not everybody can walk or cycle. I acknowledge that. But, your point is excellent.

Pedestrians already get multiple tax breaks. They're not paying vehicle taxes, registration fees, gas taxes, tolls, etc.

@2 Walking/cycling to work does not prohibit someone from owning a car.

Other studies show longer life expectancy and better overall health for those over 50, more than those for the general population.

Unless you LIKE paying for sick Boomers.

@2: you seem confused as to what a tax BREAK means. if you don't utilize a taxable service, i.e. a car, then you're not liable for that tax at all. it's not a BREAK, which would mean you use the car, but don't have to pay the full tax, it's reduced for this or that reason.

Not to mention road wear and tear costs and accident costs (medical and property damages).

does this mean that if you never stop walking, you live forever?

I wish I could walk to work, but finding a job within a reasonable walking radius is a limiting prospect, as is finding a job in a good neighborhood and then moving there.

So what you're telling me is this: If I walked 32 miles today, I'd receive one bonus day as an octagenarian in return.

Pass.

Regional thinking about walkability is important too. Consider that no matter how dense and walkable Seattle is, it accounts for about a fifth of our region's population. In 1993 we established growth management with legal boundaries. The region needs to work on what's boing on in the other 80% of our region. No matter what happens in Seattle, if the rest of our region does nothing to reconfigure its morphology, we'll still be an auto dependent region.

I'm only stating this because the work of making Seattle more ped friendly is picking the low hanging fruit. A much greater challenge is retrofitting the rest of the region to reclaim it from the car.

The car is an extension of the home.

It is a horizontal elevator.

@9 no no no! clearly every minute walking extends the life 3 minutes. For my new immortality plan I just need to walk 8 hours a day

How would the IRS determine eligibility for such a tax break?

Not everyone has a job at the Stranger where you needn't show up at a particular time and it doesn't matter if you show up looking like you walked to work in various types of weather.

I feel like not spending any money on a car is in its own way a tax break (no registration fees, gas taxes, sales taxes on oil changes, etc). No need to give me more money for using my feet to get everywhere.
I guess what I mean is: not owning a car is its own reward.