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Caribbean Life, M 22 arch 29–April 4, 2019 BQ
Weprin: Congestion pricing
another regressive tax
portation,” said Bichotte,
the daughter of Haitian
immigrants.
“Congestion Pricing,
in its current form, will
not guarantee the necessary
funds to fix our
transit system and will
just impose another tax
upon on working class
New Yorkers,” she added.
“A millionaires’ tax,
however, in conjunction
with other sales tax revenues,
and a spending cap
increase can generate the
necessary funding to fix
our transit system for all
New Yorkers,” Bichotte
continued. “Let’s continue
the dialogue.”
Weprin, a Democrat
from Queens, who has
been leading the fight
against congestion pricing,
said that “New York’s
struggling middle class
cannot afford another
regressive tax in the form
of a congestion pricing.
“This debate should not
be rushed, and we need to
look to alternatives that
penalize congestion and
tax the wealthiest New
Yorkers,” he said. “I look
forward to a healthy discussion
on alternative
solutions that will be fairer
to all New Yorkers.”
Grodenchik noted
that many parts of the
city “lack accessible and
efficient transportation
options,” adding that residents
of Eastern Queens
would be “hit hardest
by congestion pricing’s
financial burden.
“We cannot tax our way
out of a transit crisis, and
writing the MTA a blank
check neither addresses
the agency’s longstanding
underlying challenges
nor sets up a sustainable
solution,” he said.
But Bichotte’s Caribbean
colleague, Jamaican
born Assembly Member
Nick Perry, said while
he does not necessarily
view congestion pricing
as “the panacea to funding
improvements to our
antiquated transit system,”
he’s been hearing
the concerns of his constituents
and other New
Yorkers about adopting
this plan “to fund muchneeded
transit repairs.”
“My colleagues and
I are currently fully
engaged in discussions,
and daily gaining more
information, to get to a
point of understanding
that would allow congestion
pricing to take effect
in Manhattan, without
negatively impacting
the residents of the 58th
Assembly District (which
Perry represents),” Perry
told Caribbean Life on
Wednesday.
“I have also used the
process of our discourse
to encourage the MTA
(Metropolitan Transit
Authority) and the NYC
DOT (New York City
Department of Transportation)
to enact community
friendly bus lane policies
that will address the
problem of ticketing on
weekends and during nonrush
hours, while still
allowing buses to move
freely along the dedicated
routes,” he added.
As proposed, Bichotte,
Weprin and Grodenchik
said in a joint statement
that the plan would burden
New York’s middleclass
families and small
businesses, “who are
already struggling with
the rising cost of living
and a competitive business
climate with a new
tax.”
They pointed to a recent
Quinnipiac poll, which
indicated that financially
distressed New Yorkers
are considering leaving
the city, and that an additional
tax on the middle
class and effective tax
on all goods brought into
or out of New York City
would be “catastrophic
for outer borough communities.”
“Furthermore, the congestion
pricing plan delegates
unilateral authority
to an unelected subsidiary
of the MTA, the Triborough
Bridge and Tunnel
Authority (TBTA), which
can set not only the tolls
and increases but also the
boundaries of the congestion
zone as well for the
purposes of funding the
MTA,” the elected officials
said.
They said the plan sets
no benchmarks for success,
such as reducing
congestion, and does not
guarantee congestion will
be reduced at all.
“In fact, proponents
admit that speeds will only
increase by a negligible 1
mile per hour if congestion
pricing was implemented,”
said Bichotte,
Weprin and Grodenchik,
urging New York State to
explore additional options
for transit funding and
“find practical solutions
to reduce congestion.
“New York needs a fair
deal – one that will tax
those responsible for creating
the congestion, and
tax those with disposable
income to actually reduce
congestion and raise revenue
for our ailing transit
system,” they added.
Former Assemblyman
Richard L. Brodsky said
congestion pricing is “a
regressive tax on middle
and low-income New
Yorkers that won’t make a
dent in congestion.
“The better course is
to tax the billionaire’s
and real estate moguls,
who are left untaxed by
congestion pricing and
to limit the real cause
of congestion, Uber and
Lyft,” he said.
According to the New
York Times, it could soon
cost more — well over
$10 — to drive into the
busiest neighborhoods,
from 60th Street in Midtown
all the way to the
Battery.
It said the fees will be
part of the new congestion
pricing plan that is
expected to be adopted
as early as April 1, the
day the new state budget
is due.
The fees are expected
to raise billions of dollars
to fix the city’s troubled
subway system and
thin out streets that have
become strangled by
traffic, according to the
Times.
It said the new fees will
be imposed on vehicles
that enter Manhattan
below 60th Street, adding
that congestion fees
are not expected to start
until 2021, and no actual
fee amounts have been
decided.
A plan proposed by
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo
would establish a panel of
experts who would set the
fees, the Times said.
Continued from Page 1