From the NY Times:With great élan, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Thursday that the city did not need to raise taxes later this year. No one jumped up to argue that point.
Taxes, however, are not the only way to trim the public hide.
No mayor for decades has been able to resist the lure of raising revenue with fines, the tax that dares not say its name. During one blitz in the 1990s, the city was ticketing electric pony rides outside stores on Myrtle Avenue in Queens. Around the same time, a driver in the Bronx discovered that the police had figured out a way to abruptly trigger a red light near the Bronx Zoo. They needed to bring fresh supplies of ballpoint pens every day to keep up with the workload of drivers caught running the surprise light.
In any event, the march of time and fines is unmistakable: in 2002, the city collected $380 million in parking fines. The mayor’s budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 calls for $518 million, a modest increase from the current $513 million. These revenues are part of a larger bundle of fines for violations of codes covering areas like sanitation, health and taxis. That sum will reach $802 million, up from $786 million this year and $457 million 10 years ago.
Two points should not be forgotten in these discussions. The city’s overall budget, buttressed by higher property values, has climbed by about 50 percent in those 10 years; and quite a few fines cost more to issue and collect than they are worth.
8 comments:
Try collecting the fines owed by developer-scofflaws (like Tommy Huang and family) for the various violations they've piled up.
Seize their properties and sell them.
NYC could then afford to buy each
one of us a beer and have plenty of money left over for essentials.
On second thought,the day that Mayor Mike finally leaves office, I'll buy myself a bottle of Dom Perignon.
Forget about the beer.
Cheers and good riddance, your honor!
What a pleasure it will be to no longer have to hear your whining nasal voice.
Adieu Monsieur!
If only the City could and would collect all the outstanding Buildings Department fines owed. How many millions of dollars is that?
There was a time when it was illegal to use tickets and fines for general revenue. This was the primary argument against "meter maids" when they were created.
The size and cost of government must be reduced or our society is doomed. It's already easier to start and run a company in Communist China than in the US.
Don't do the crime if you can't pay the fine.
All of these increases in the past 10 years.
A huge coincidence that the richest man in NYC just so happened to be mayor in the past 10 years.
Its a shame that NYC isn't for the working class anymore.
My entire block just got hit with sidewalk notices.
Must be repaired in 45 days.... great timing in the middle of winter, huh? Pouring concrete in Feb/March. What a dumb bunch of cock-gobblers that run this city.
Why don't they just ticket all the commercial vans parked overnight on 74th St. from Calamus to Grand Aves. P.J. Mechanical (a Manhattan company) has a van parked there every single night. Oh, that's right, that falls under the jurisdiction of the 104 precinct -- never mind!
True, the “Tax Rate” did not rise but the city can arbitraily set the value of your property, which increases the amount of taxes due. Mostly on commercial property. So when you go to your local business like your supermarket and things are more expensive remember that the cost for these tax revenue increases are passed down to the consumer. That means the poor and those on fixed income pay the Lion’s share for Mr. Bloombergs non-tax increase.
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