Thursday, November 1, 2018

Lots of new taxes being considered to save MTA


From NBC:

A state panel is advising Governor Andrew Cuomo to consider a bundle of new taxes after revelations that the price for fixing the beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority has doubled.

As it turns out, officials say a controversial plan for congestion pricing won’t raise enough money to cover the difference.

The task of finding solutions for raising the dough has been left to a city-state sustainability task force. Sources tell CBS2 that in addition to congestion pricing, the task force is exploring other options including:

- raising the payroll tax
- increasing the real estate transfer tax on sales of property over $5 million
- ending the sales tax exemption on clothing purchases under $110

Mitchell Moss, head of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University, has other suggestions including raising the gas tax.

“We should be using the gas tax and other broad-based revenues,” Moss said. “We might even want to consider getting revenue from cannabis to be earmarked for riders.”

A marijuana tax is a real possibility if pot is legalized in New York, sources say. Other revenue streams could come from new taxes on casinos and sports betting.

22 comments:

JQ LLC said...

The legalization and taxation of pot would be enough. But corrupt chickenshit Cuomo never even considered it during his two terms.

It's absurd to tax drivers for driving in the city. Insurance and gasoline prices are through the roof. I saw a gas station in Manhattan in the village going for nearly 5 bucks a gallon. That's obscene. And so is the MTA, the worst fucking transit system in the universem and so are the short term memory de Faustio who focused to much of his attention on ferries and the BQX and this dumbass governor who has the audacity to run for re-election on expedient progressive issues.

I'm pulling for Howie Hawkins, green party candidate. But I wouldn't mind if Molinaro wins.

Anonymous said...

Why can't they raise the fare?

Drivers have to pay tolls to cross a bridge, pay gasoline tax, car registration, and parking meters, all for shitty road conditions and traffic. And on top of that a lot of that money is going to the transit system and not being invested back in the roads. Transit riders need to stop expecting everyone else in the state to be taxed and taxed to pay for the system they don't use.

If the fare is 2.25 you can't complain about the service. Riders should be paying a lot more to improve their system. Its amazing the bitching and moaning that goes on when the fare is raised 25 cents.

The fare should be a lot more with strict fare beating enforcement to cover the cost. If I don't use the transit system, why should I pay more taxes in top of what I already pay for something I don't use.

If thats the case then there should be a tax on every transit ride that goes to maintaining the roads. If drivers have to pay for something they don't use then its only fair that transit riders pay for something they don't use. We are trying to be a fair and equal city right?

Anonymous said...

How about pay cuts for the MTA CEO and to all the politicians?

Anonymous said...

Oh, great! Instead of cutting the FAT, the already over-taxed New Yorker will be burried with even more TAXES! It only takes great minds to come up with this innovative, unprecedented solution! The most expensive capital projects IN THE PLANET, but it's on taxpayers, again.

Anonymous said...

How much more can you ask drivers to pay? If they increase the gas tax it should go to the highways not the mta.

They should link the cost of a ride to the cost of the toll to cross a bridge. Drivers are paying enough already in this city!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

How about getting rid of all the lazy incompetent islanders who were handed there jobs and replacing them with intelligent people?
Shit these Antillean's the MTA imported cant even read schematic diagrams, speak understandable English so how are they to run and maintain the most complex transportation system in the world ?

Throwing money at the MTA will not fix the problem it will be no different then sending money to the Caribbean to rebuild after a hurricane.
The people at the top & government steal all the money and nothing gets fixed and done properly. --as in same old shod shit.
These assholes cant even replace & wire a PA speaker
Since the MTA fares have gone from $14 to now $30 round trip Port Washington to Manhattan LIRR --and they did away with the stop-over allowance to get off in Flushing and pick up a $30 Rolex & $2.99 bags of work sox

Anonymous said...

Another reason to vote for Molinaro and boot out crooked Cuomo. The MTA is the worst and every subway ride is a possible death sentence with tens of thousands of violent predators allowed, by the useless MTA cops, to roam the mass transit system terrorizing riders.

Anonymous said...

VOTE FOR MARC MOLINARO. CUOMO NEEDS TO GO. He hasn't a clue about the MTA. Lower the salaries for all MTA CEO and politicians. Take away their private cars and let them ride the system. Maybe they will finally understand what it's like to wait 40 minutes for a train. Make all bike users get insurance and make them register their bikes (just like auto drivers). Raise the price of Citibikes to help out with the MTA bill. Raise the MTA fare to $3.50. Legalize marijuana and tax that. The MTA repairs have been neglected for many years. Where did all our tax money go? The politicians didn't spend it on the MTA. Time to vote out all of these corrupt politicians and vote in new people. So tired of the same old crap. We need new blood land new ideas.

Anonymous said...

If they weren't a sanctuary city, harboring illegal criminal invaders, giving them free education, free medical care, free housing, free legal help---things WE the taxpayers don't get---the city could save an enormous amount of money which then could be used to fix the subway system. But the libtards in charge insist that people that don't even belong here and who are feeding parasitically off NYC citizens come FIRST. Just imagine---you get up and go to work, suffer a crummy ordeal of a commute, put up with all the stresses of your job, suffer another crummy commute, so that you can support these parasites in the style DeBlASSio et al have allowed them to become accustomed to. There are legal routes to take to immigrate here and become a citizen, plenty of them. Who appreciates someone who jumps in line in front of you while you're in a long line at the grocery? But libtards like DeBlASSio & Co. clearly value criminals who sneaked in over U.S. citizens.

There's your solution to save a lot of money which could then be used, WITHOUT increasing already overtaxed NYers, to fix the public transportation in NYC.

Anonymous said...

How about bringing back the commuter tax instead of taxing people who live in the City even more??

Anonymous said...

This is how the middle class disappears in NYC.
You continue to push the burden on those that actually pay taxes and are productive while declaring the city is a "sanctuary" to citizens of other nations that won't be driving, won't be paying for healthcare or schools and will be continuing to crowd the city.
This includes the chain migration grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousin Its that crowd into every nook and cranny from College Point to Canarsie.
Our political leadership continues to push an agenda that seeks to expand the welfare class while wondering where all the money is going.
I must be getting old because I seem to be reaching the Diminishing Marginal Utility limit of this city.

Anonymous said...

Instead of devising new taxes on us, try cutting expenses to fund priorities such as the subways.

Anonymous said...

Bring back the commuter tax.

Anonymous said...

Commuter tax is perfectly reasonable. You use the bridge/tunnel, you pay for it.

Anonymous said...

If the fare is 2.25 you can't complain about the service. Riders should be paying a lot more to improve their system. Its amazing the bitching and moaning that goes on when the fare is raised 25 cents.

Last I checked the fare was 2.75 not 2.25. And they are planning to raise it again next year I believe. So that's 5.50 back and forth everyday. I think they started to get into alot of debt when they took away the two fare zones. The reason why places like bayside has seen a huge boom in people is because it's no longer a 2 fare zone. I believe that's one of the reasons why everyone started moving out this way. I remember when you had to pay for the bus then pay for the subway. This kept alot of people out of this side of queens, I believe....I could be wrong but I have lived here for 35 years and I have never seen so many people in my life here until the Mta removed the 2 fare zones. Of course the huge influx in asians too is a cause for the huge boom too but thats a different story.

Sunnyside Al said...

How about we shut down the entire MTA system?

The service is lousy anyway!!

Anonymous said...

Raising fares is perfectly reasonable. You use the trains, buses or subway, you pay for it.

Chester the Dog said...

Here is an idea, maybe the MTA could....learn to save money and not be so wasteful?

Anonymous said...

Who are the people on this panel and are they willing to make their income tax returns public?

Anonymous said...

Does this include both books or just the one shown to the public?

JQ LLC said...

Anon asked who are the people on this panel?

Here's one

Scott Rechler of RFR Realty


https://nypost.com/2018/10/20/pure-pay-to-play-after-cuomo-donor-lands-1b-coliseum-contract/

One of Gov. Cuomo’s biggest donors has landed a $1 billion-plus deal to develop the area surrounding Nassau Coliseum — infuriating other bidders whose proposals were solicited, then discarded, by government officials

The developer, along with 16 others, submitted proposals this summer at the behest of Nassau County, which was looking to finally transform the sprawling property around the newly renovated stadium, which is now mostly a parking lot.

But the county didn’t follow through with the proposals — making an unexpected announcement in early September that the “Nassau Hub” project would instead proceed as a joint venture that included Scott Rechler’s company, RXR Realty Investments. The plan includes two hotels, 500 housing units and office and biotech research facilities, along with 200,000 square feet of retail space.

Rechler is a Cuomo-appointed member of the MTA board, and a former Cuomo pick on the Port Authority board, who — along with his family members and corporations — has donated at least $548,982 to the governor’s campaigns since 2009.

Anonymous said...

Equalize the crossing tolls but lower the high ones to make it revenue neutral.
Plenty folks travel extra to avoid tolls which ain't right.
Our bullycraps don't even understand the way real congestion pricing works.
Use EZPass to make congestion pricing real time.
If there is no congestion, you shouldn't have to pay.
If you are adding to the congestion you should pay according to how bad it is.
So then folks will insiste employers flextime their schedules.

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