Stop NYC Congestion Tax

The State & Federal Legislation Committee of the New York City Council is holding a massive one-day hearing on the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission’s final report for the Congestion Tax on Monday, March 24th at 10 AM and again at 6 PM in the City Council Chambers.

They must hold the hearing on the report alone because the State has thus far failed to introduce any congestion pricing legislation, despite the fast approaching March 31st deadline. [Read more →]

At present, the State Legislature has not formally introduced any legislation for the City Council to review. Therefore, unless that changes by Monday’s hearing, the City Council will have to make a recommendation completely ignorant of what the actual legislation authorizing the Congestion Tax says, which is like signing a piece of paper agreeing to a contract without ever seeing what the contract says.

However, according to the Daily News’ Daily Politics blog, which has uploaded a draft bill circulating from the Bloomberg administration that is dated March 17th, the language is highly problematic if this bill is in fact introduced. [Read more →]

In a Quinnipiac University poll released on March 13, 2008, New Yorkers, yet again, have not been duped by the pro-tax argument that drivers must be taxed out of existence in order to improve mass transit.

Unsurprisingly, the opposition against congestion pricing, which historically in past Q polls hovers around 60% citywide, is at 56%. In the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, opposition is over 60% still. [Read more →]

The New York Times did their own survey, and, with almost a full turnout of responses, it reveals that if the congestion tax were voted on today, it would not pass in the City Council.

While many of you will revel in that fact, be advised that it ain’t over until it’s over and there’s still 15 days left for things to change. The best approach is to bombard your representatives with phone calls, e-mails, letters, faxes, whatever you can do to keep reminding them that the congestion tax must not make it out of the City Council.

It’s interesting to note that Joel Rivera, the Democratic Majority Leader, and James Oddo, the Republican Minority Leader, are both in the opposition camp. This is a politically unique occasion where both the Council’s Democratic and Republican leadership both agree that congestion pricing is wrong for New York City. That should tell the rest of the 12 who support the tax something profound about their mistaken positions.

Assembly Members Richard Brodsky (Chair, Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions) and Denny Farrell (Chair, Ways and Means) will be holding a public hearing tomorrow, March 6th, at 10:30 AM in New York City on how the MTA plans to spend the revenues from the congestion tax, should it be adopted.

The main concern is over the MTA’s Five Year Capital Plan 2008-2013, which wants to use congestion tax funds to borrow $4.5 billion, even though the Capital Plan itself will be $9 billion in the red after the fact anyway! [Read more →]

Last week, all 51 City Council Members received questionnaires about their stances on the congestion tax. And Council Members are responding. We want to thank them for taking the time to let the public know where they stand on this important issue.  The questions and responses that they were asked are below [Read more →]

Though this may seem like a recent phenomenon in NYC, namely taxing people twice to use their own streets, it is hardly the case. After some research, it appears that the Federal government and New York City had been, internally, grappling with the issue of whether or not to pursue any sort of implementation plan for a congestion tax system.

Most evident of this fact is the existence of New York City Council Intro 78 from 1990 and Intro 51 from 1992, proposed amendments to the charter that would effectively ban any kind of congestion tax for good. [Read more →]

Because the New York City Council will be the first body to vote on the congestion tax scheme, today, all 51 members of the City Council received questionnaires about their stances on the congestion tax. [Read more →]

One of the most popular fallacies among supporters of a congestion tax is that they equivocate the proposed tax with meaningful mass transit improvements. They incessantly mention how we need improved subway service, bus rapid transit (BRT), HOV lanes, bike lanes, more express buses, and other alternatives and improvements. There’s certainly no argument there.  They also argue that we need this massive new tax to accomplish these goals.  That’s the error.  One such victim of this flaw is the former Mayor of Bogota [Read more →]

There are a few goals for congestion taxes, though none more prominent in the debate than to reduce vehicular congestion. But what if it does not accomplish this goal, but only raises your tax burden with no benefits? That’s the predicament Londoners are outraged about, according to a BBC report. [Read more →]