NYS Legislature May Pass Payroll Tax to Fund MTA without Adding East River Tolls

What many of us feared would happen may happen sooner and in a more damaging way than we thought. Crain's just reported that the Governor and the NYS Senate have formally abandoned East River tolls as a way to help fund the MTA's operations and capital plans. Unfortunately, our lawmakers and executive leadership have not abandoned a payroll tax on employers within the MTA's catchment area. While many recognized that the payroll tax was probably a done deal, however unfair to our employers, we hoped that our state leadership would not tax us in vain. Without adopting all of the Ravitch Commssion's recommendations, the MTA's serious infrastructure and operational problems cannot be addressed in any meaningful or long-term way.