Originally Posted by
RgrMurdock
No regional provides more than the government mandated minimum that I know of. The difference between the two are tax deductible. The max I have seen is close to 2 dollars. That's 48 dollars per day. The government "onus" rate without taking into account specific cities is something like 56-58 dollars right?
Yep, in some of the cities we stay at, it is much higher than the $59 standard rate for transportation workers. Our max per day at RAH is $39.60 ($1.65/hr) which means you can claim $19.40/day on your taxes just using the standard rate. Essentially, the government is subsidizing our pitiful per diem rates. I've always wondered why the airlines are allowed to pay so little per diem and let the government cover the rest through tax deductions. Back when I was a mechanic working at a repair station, I received $85/day while on the road and that was in 2008.