[LINK] Work from home and help keep transport gridlock at bay

[Richard Chirgwin]

On 11/10/11 8:47 AM, Tom Worthington wrote:
> On 10/10/11 10:08, David Boxall wrote:
>> I wonder; to what extent will/can telecommuting substitute for
>> traditional commuting? ...
> There are some tricky administrative issues to work out with
> teleworking. Your home becomes a workplace and so is subject to work
> rules. Occupational health and safety is difficult to administer in the
> home: do you have an office environment which conforms (desk, computer
> chair, lighting) are you dressed correctly (covered shoes for
> protection)? Is your home and its telecommunications sufficiently secure
> for the information being held there? Have you attended all the required
> meetings for the workplace (or are these available on-line)?
>
> There could be a burden for the government as well. Workers are not
> entitled to deduct the cost of traveling to work, but can take the cost
> of traveling between workplaces off their tax. If you start the work day
> at home on the computer, is your commute to the office then traveling
> between workplaces and so deductible?
>
>
In this last one, I know of people who have been allowed to make that 
"travel between workplaces" deduction, so I guess the answer is "yes".

There's one more consideration for the work-from-home: capital gains 
tax. If you start claiming deductions (eg part of the electricity bill) 
for your home workplace, do you make part of the family home subject to 
CGT on its eventual sale? Would that tax burden, accumulated over time, 
outweigh any personal benefits gained from telecommuting?

RC