Comments on: MTA payroll tax under fire as Walder talks 2010

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:44:53 +0000

This plan has nothing to do with Long Island or the bridges. The proposal would kill the payroll tax only in Rockland, Orange, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, while increasing Metro-North fares only in those counties and in Connecticut.

This plan is really about passing the bill for increased MTA funding from all residents of those four counties to Metro-North riders mostly in Connecticut. (According to the linked article, the fare increase would cost Hudson Valley riders an additional $18 million and Connecticut riders $43 million.)

The Hudson Valley counties — particularly Rockland and Orange — have for years chafed at bearing the same MTA tax burden as the city, Long Island and Westchester while receiving far fewer services than the other jurisdictions (though service in Rockland has gotten somewhat better than it used to be).

This bill won’t do anything to rectify the structural problems causing the disparity and its not good policy in its own right, but it’s a reasonable political attempt by local lawmakers to lower the tax burden their constituents face.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:04:20 +0000

It’s annoying that the main revenue plan is to increase fares on Metro-North, rather than the LIRR, which has two thirds the farebox recovery ratio. Or, for that matters, tolling the bridges, with the pollution they create in the neighborhoods they impact.

By: SEAN

SEAN — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:44:03 +0000

Perhaps that is the point? They don’t care enough to get it. Or they get contributions from the oil lobby

By: Falling Under a Spell - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

Falling Under a Spell - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:42:16 +0000

[...] New Fare: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Jay Walder, has not ruled out a fair increase for 2010. [Second Avenue [...]

By: Marc Shepherd

Marc Shepherd — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:02 +0000

The reality is that a 13 percent fare increase for Metro-North would not make driving a more attractive alternative than taking the train.

It doesn’t change the fact that these legislators do not seem to understand MTA economics — or, dare I say, any kind of economics.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:20:46 +0000

Yeah, what we really need is a way to make Metro-North less attractive so that *more* people drive into the city.