NFIB Slams MTA’s Congestion Pricing Plan: “Another Unaffordable Tax on Small Businesses”

December 6, 2023

NFIB Slams MTA's Congestion Pricing Plan: "Another Unaffordable Tax on Small Businesses"

Congestion Pricing Moves Forward: What Small Businesses Need to Know

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board overwhelmingly voted to approve Congestion Pricing by charging drivers to enter a sizable portion of Manhattan.

Congestion pricing would impact drivers entering the “Central Business District” (CBD), from 60^th Street in Manhattan and below, stretching to the southern tip of the Financial District.

All drivers will be charged the toll. Passenger vehicles will be charged $15, small trucks will be charged $24, large trucks will be charged $36, and motorcycles will be charged $7.50. The tolls would apply from 5 AM. to 9 PM weekdays, and 9 AM to 9 PM on weekends. Toll rates would be 75% lower at night.

Now that the initial MTA plan has gotten the green light, there will be a 60-day response period in effect, and four public hearings will be held in February and early March. The tolls could go into effect as early as June 2024.

Currently, New Jersey has filed a lawsuit to block congestion pricing, but that case is still pending.

For more information on Congestion Pricing in New York, please visit:

https://new.mta.info/document/127761

>>>>> READ the Dec. 6th statement by State Director Ashley Ranslow below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NFIB Slams MTA’s Congestion Pricing Plan: “Another Unaffordable Tax on Small Businesses” ALBANY, NY (Dec. 6, 2023) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, today released the following statement by Ashley Ranslow, NFIB’s New York State Director, responding to the MTA Board’s approval of the Congestion Pricing Plan, which imposes a $15 fee on vehicles and $24-36 fee on trucks, depending on size, for entering Manhattan below 60th Street: “Today’s decision by the MTA Board to approve the Congestion Pricing Plan is yet another unaffordable tax on small businesses. Every small business below 60th Street along with small businesses located outside of the congestion pricing zone simply trying to conduct business in Manhattan will see the cost of their goods and services rise dramatically, cutting into their already razor-thin margins and driving prices higher for consumers. The MTA has a notable and well-documented history of mismanaging its funds, but instead of getting a handle on how the agency spends its money, the Board approves a plan to implement a new astronomically high tax. Eighty-three percent of voters say the cost of living in New York is a major problem and small businesses are already struggling with mounting cost increases due to inflation, rising utility bills, increased gas prices, countless new mandates and regulations, and labor shortages. This plan is the exact opposite of making New York more affordable for residents and small businesses.” ### For 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

Topics:

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State:

New York

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