New York State Insider: NY Gubernatorial Candidates Silent on Congestion Pricing Issue.

 

Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WHERE ARE NEW YORK GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES ON CONTROVERSIAL NYC CONGESTION PRICING TAX?   Primaries Just Seven Months Away.   New York-Dec. 7…New York gubernatorial candidates have been quiet about their positions on a congestion pricing tax that could stifle the redevelopment of Manhattan’s Central Business and Financial districts struggling to recover from Covid-19 workplace changes, a coalition opposing the new tax today noted. The two districts, traditional economic engines for the state, were the focus of a recent report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli:     “Midtown and the Financial District are two of the largest business districts in the world,” Mr. DiNapoli wrote. “When the pandemic hit, companies shifted office workers to remote work, rents fell, and vacancies rose. I am optimistic for the sector’s recovery but it’s short-term future remains uncertain as employers assess future use of the space. The city should closely monitor trends in the sector and consider the future impact on tax revenues.”   Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free, a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City, argues that implementing a tax on vehicles travelling south of 6oth Street in Manhattan will, among other things, permanently damage efforts to revitalize the two districts.    “A new tax on drivers is a bad idea for a number of reasons,'' said Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free spokesman Joshua Bienstock. “In addition to hurting low-income New Yorkers living in transit deserts most, this regressive tax would massively increase traffic north of 60th Street in Manhattan, redirect carbon-belching trucks into communities of color, and, perhaps most urgently, seriously inhibit Midtown’s and Downtown’s economic recovery. With only eight months to go before the gubernatorial primaries, we really need to hear where the candidates stand on this new tax.”   Estimates for a congestion pricing tax range between $9 and $35 per day. The Comptroller's report found that Covid erased nearly $27 billion in market value within Manhattan’s office market this fiscal year alone, costing the state more than $850 million in lost real estate tax revenue.   Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free argues that available federal and state infrastructure dollars negate the need for a new tax, proceeds from which would go to the spendthrift MTA.   “The Comptroller’s report is clear: midtown and downtown Manhattan will be struggling to rebound for years; adding a congestion pricing tax on top of existing problems could be disastrous,” Mr. Bienstock continued. “New York State needs to rethink congestion pricing, and instead look to federal infrastructure dollars to meet MTA needs. They should be looking at incentives to repopulate our core business sectors, never disincentives.”     Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free represents a diverse coalition of civic, business, and labor organizations and businesses throughout New York City. We share a simple vision: to keep our city congestion tax free. Our coalition opposes the imposition of tolls to enter the City's (Manhattan) Central Business District ("CBD") via toll readers installed on City Streets or on the City's East River and Harlem River Bridges.