Senator Lanza Offers Information To Businesses Affected By The MTA Payroll Tax

In an effort to help business owners comply with the MTA Payroll Tax, Senator Andrew Lanza has started alerting them about guidelines that were recently sent out by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (NYSDTF).  While Senator Lanza voted against the measure in May, he believes that all businesses need to be informed about the tax that was enacted by the Democratically-controlled Assembly and Senate and signed into law by Governor David Paterson. 

            “While I remain vehemently opposed to this onerous and shortsighted tax that will increase the burden on our homeowners and lead to job losses, it is important that everyone who needs this information have it readily available so they can comply with the law as it stands right now.  The last thing anyone on Staten Island needs to do is give Albany an excuse to take more of their hard-earned money through late fees since some have already shown a clear willingness to balance the state’s books on their backs,” stated Senator Lanza. 

The MTA Payroll Tax, which was approved over the objections of Republican lawmakers in May, placed a .34% tax on every employee in the MTA region.  The $1.5 billion payroll tax centerpiece of the MTA bailout will place an additional burden on Staten island businesses, not-for-profits, hospitals, local governments and school districts. 

While he is making the information available for use by those he represents, Senator Lanza remains committed to repealing this tax.  He remains firm in his belief that the MTA should have come to the table as more of a willing partner in fixing its own mess.  From cost overruns to poor bargaining with its workforce, the MTA has been consistently dealing with a deficit of its own creation.  That was made all the more clear last week when its decision to go to arbitration with its union cost the authority over $350 million. 

“The MTA has consistently come to the taxpayers of this state with their hands out but they are not doing enough on their own.  The authority created the mess it is in and they should work to find a solution that avoids placing an additional burden on our taxpayers and businesses,” added Senator Lanza.  “This tax is going to cost jobs and add to the burden Staten Islanders face and it is time to repeal it.”

According to the information that was delivered to Senator Lanza’s office this week, the deadline for employers to make their first payment is November 2^nd.  Copies of the information are attached to this page at the bottom.  Just click on the PDF link and print.