![]() "At the end of the day, MTA still reaps the large majority of the $800 million that's projected in the governor's proposal." "About 80 percent of that revenue would come from New York City businesses anyway, and so let's keep that 80 percent, carve out the other 20 percent that shouldn’t be paying taxes to begin with," Skoufis proposed. Excluding suburban counties from the tax would shave $10 million dollars off of the $800 million tax proposal, which Skoufis called a "drop in the bucket." What is most "unfair" about the tax, Skoufis said, is that local governments pay for it using money derived from property taxes. James Skoufis at the Capitol in Albany on Jan. "To increase this tax on those suburban businesses by about 50 percent is just simply unjust, the whole tax is unjust, but to increase it exacerbates the unfairness," Skoufis said during an interview with the Times Union on Monday. Skoufis also contends that community colleges, municipalities and hospitals shouldn't have to pay the tax at all - not just the increase - since they receive state funding, and a percentage of that money is eventually diverted to the MTA. And that the money will eventually be invested back into the city, not the commuter counties. Suburban lawmakers have argued that contributions outside New York City are insignificant to the whole picture. 15, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city cannot afford to pay the $500 million a year Hochul has requested top of the payroll tax increase. ![]() During testimony to the Senate's Finance and Assembly's Ways and Means committees on Feb. "The Hudson Valley is a public transportation desert, and instead of increasing our taxes and then outsourcing the benefits to other parts of the state, we need to be working together toward a more equitable partnership that bolsters our local services and doesn't leave us behind," she said.īut New York City doesn't want to entirely foot the bill either. Hinchey said in a statement that it's not the Hudson Valley's responsibility to solve the MTA's budget crisis. Public transportation advocates rally in support of funding for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway system on Tuesday, Feb. By 2025, the MTA could be facing a $3 billion recurring budget shortfall. The tax increase was just one in a $1.6 billion package of proposals included in Hochul's budget plan to help the MTA, which is still struggling from COVID-induced ridership losses. If passed, the tax would generate $800 million a year.īack when Hochul unveiled her plan, Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver released a statement strongly opposing the tax increase and accusing the state of historically "treating the Hudson Valley as an ATM." If it passes, Dutchess County said it would increase its tax from $525,000 to $800,000. 5 percent for employers and self-employed individuals in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. Her plan would increase the mobility payroll tax from. Kathy Hochul's $227 billion executive budget proposal that she unveiled on Feb. The tax hike has been pitched as part of Gov. "Exempting non-New York City (counties) from the increase associated with this already-unjust tax is the appropriate response," they wrote to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. James Skoufis, Monica Martinez, Michelle Hinchey and Robert Rolison, the lawmakers noted counties outside New York City do not have access to the same amount of public transportation provided by the MTA compared to businesses in the city, which primarily benefit from commuters who use the system. ![]() In a letter released Monday co-written by state Sens. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |