New York Wants To Charge Most Drivers An Extra $25 A Year
Most New York drivers would face an extra $25 charge each year if lawmakers get their way.
The debate over whether that's fair is already getting heated.
New York Wants To Charge Upstate Drivers An Extra $25 A Year
If you live outside of New York City and register a vehicle in New York State, a new proposal in the State Legislature could soon cost you an extra $25 a year.
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Assembly Bill A10431, introduced by Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Magnarelli, would impose a $25 annual surcharge on vehicle registrations for drivers living outside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, which covers New York City and its immediate suburban transit zone.
If the law is passed, the $25 yearly fee would apply to roughly five million registered vehicles across Upstate and Western New York, including right here in the Hudson Valley.
Why Lawmakers Are Pushing The Bill
The money, estimated at around $125 million per year, would go directly into the Public Transportation Systems Operating Assistance account to fund regional transit networks across Upstate New York.
Supporters argue that upstate transit systems are chronically underfunded and that this fee would create a funding stream similar to what downstate drivers already pay to support the MTA, bringing some parity to how public transportation is funded across the state.
Opponents say the fee unfairly burdens rural and suburban drivers who rarely if ever use public transit, and argue that downstate and New York City already benefit from far more dedicated funding streams than upstate communities do.
Critics say why a driver in, say, Sullivan County, who never sets foot on a bus, should pay an extra annual fee to fund transit systems they don't use.
The bill has not passed. It remains a proposal in the Legislature, and it would need to survive significant opposition before becoming law.
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Gallery Credit: Dan McGuire
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