It’s time for Orange County to part ways with the MTA.
This week, I introduced legislation to withdraw from the MTA – an agency that does little more than treat our community like an ATM. Here’s a list of some of the taxes and fees that New
Yorkers pay into the MTA:
Sales tax
Real estate transfer tax
Mortgage recording tax
Mansion tax
Gas tax
Corporate tax
Business payroll tax
Car registration fee
Driver’s license fee
Telecom surcharges
Ridesharing surcharges
What do we get in Orange County for all these taxes, fees, and surcharges? A single, lone rail line that runs sporadically, at best. It doesn’t even bring us into Manhattan – getting into New
York City requires an inconvenient transfer in New Jersey. With all this in mind, the MTA promised to consider Orange County’s lack of viable transit when developing congestion pricing tolls and credits. Chalk it up to yet another broken promise by the MTA.
Withdrawing from the MTA would eliminate these unfair taxes on our community, allowing for alternative methods of transportation to be explored – options that would allow taxpayers to see the full value of their hard-earned money going into real, tangible solutions for Orange County. And, just to make sure our community doesn’t continue getting the short end of the stick, the legislation specifies that if the State Comptroller finds that Orange County residents paid more to the MTA in taxes than was invested into Orange County transit, the MTA will be required to pay back the difference.
Assemblyman Jacobson will carry this legislation in his chamber, and we are joined by *every* member of the Orange County delegation: Senator Rolison, Assemblymembers Eachus, Kay,
Brabenec, and Maher.
This is a measure of last resort that I do not advance lightly. I look forward to fighting for this bill’s passage and delivering relief for my overtaxed, under-serviced constituents – enough is
enough!
