Posted on 11/27/2008 6:47:42 AM PST by reaganaut1
A state commission appointed by Gov. David A. Paterson is expected next week to propose a rescue package for the financially imperiled Metropolitan Transportation Authority that includes a new tax on corporate payrolls and tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges, several people informed of the plan said on Wednesday.
The commission, led by Richard Ravitch, a former chairman of the authority, will also recommend an increase next year in fares on subways, buses and commuter railroads, as well as in tolls on the bridges and tunnels it currently controls. But those increases would be much smaller than the ones the authority recently outlined in its proposed budget for next year.
...
The tax on payrolls, expected to be less than one half of 1 percent, would apply to businesses in the 12-county area served by the authority. It would be paid by businesses, not employees. The tax would be designed to raise $1 billion a year or more.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Explain how the trains are extremely crowded with new riders on every single line and yet the MTA cries poverty.
Oh, excuse me, it’s NY.
The NYC subways were originally built by private companies.
It’s time to privatize them again and fire the incompetent MTA.
While they’re at it, the private companies might also think about breaking the Transit Workers Union.
Oh he**, Who is John Galt??
Legacy costs.
I guess more taxes is “change.”
People never learn, and we ultimately get what we deserve.
New Yorkers have been voting for higher taxes for decades, then they end up leaving, and then vote for higher taxes in their new locales (Florida, NC).
Unions....That explains it.
And two sets of books.
just the most recent manifestation of featherbedding, liberal (no pun intended) benefits and low productivity.
Note to “businesses” that will pay this toll- another 1/2% of Payroll gross-—FOR STARTERS——God knows how high it can get in the future.
Nevada has no Income tax. Clean air. No smog. Low costs of land. Houses built on actual ACREAGE.
New area being built east of Reno on I-80 called Tahoe-Reno Industrial. Lance Gilman is developer. Thousands of acres. Special road- entrance and exit both directions on I-80 has already been completed. Big truck stop there, also, on I-80.
Wal-Mart -—huge warehouse— was first to buy 160 acres. Rumors of a large Insurance company coming into same abound. Other businesses already there. Road cutting from there to Silver Springs, along old Ramsey-Weeks road is being built, to cut down truck/commuter travel time from there to Las Vegas. Will cut about 30 minutes from there to US 95A, which goes south to Las Vegas, and southern routes. UPS and Fed Ex are busy for smaller freight.
Estimates of truck traffic at build-out is 12,000 trips a day. That would be an average of 3000 each direction on the companss. Over I-80 to California. North on US 395 to Oregon and Washington. I-80 east to Salt Lake City and points east.
Depending on the type of business you have....This could work for you and your business. I have absolutely no connection to anyone there..I have just been watching it grow.
Reno has alot of decent housing in all price ranges. 4 seasons- but not the blinding snow that you see in NYC. This is high desert- low precipitation- about 5 inches a year. about 300 “sun days” a year. If you get up on www.bestplaces.net you can compare costs and other data about Reno to wherever you are.
Entertainment abounds. Lots of outdoor activities. Kayaking on the Truckee River. Hiking all over. ATV’s on the desert. L:ots of horse properties. I have 5.58 acres, and my property taxes are $1335 currently. Skiing within a hour’s drive- lots of “day skiing”. Lake Tahoe and boating there in about an hour. Historical stuff all over. Virginis City in same county as TRI. Site of the largest silver mine in the country- The Comstock Mines.
Carson City- state capital is 30 miles south of Reno. Work/clients there—again depending on your business.
If anyone is interested in bailing out of the TAX and SPEND land of New York—private message me.
Nevada is also a right to work state. Las Vegas has lots of unions, but not so much up here in N Nevada. Not really welcome here. More like a ranching and mining attitude.
Another source of info about Nevada is RANGE Magazine, which is published in Carson City. They have a web site.
The crowded trains are a symptom of the problem. If the fares were high enough to recover more of the cost of operating the system, the trains wouldn't be so crowded -- and the MTA wouldn't have a revenue shortfall.
the trains were crowded because of the cost of gasoline
Just a wild, off the wall thought, but why not charge the users what it costs to run the MTA. If they stop using it, shut it down. It’s how private businesses work.
The subways were originally privately owned enterprises. It didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. Now, the 600+ miles of track that comprise the subway are a critical piece of the city’s economy.
The trains in New York City have been overcrowded for decades — and it started getting a hell of a lot worse about 10-15 years ago when the city’s economy boomed during Wall Street’s 1990s boom.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.