Senator Lavalle Comments on Reversal of New License Plate

Senator Kenneth P. LaValle today announced that the people are winning the fight against the new license plate mandate.  Under the measure passed by Governor Paterson and the Democrats in the state Legislature, New Yorkers would be required to purchase a new license plate whether they needed one or not.   The Governor has agreed to repeal the license plate plan if resources are identified to replace the revenue this plan would have generated.  I believe we could accomplish this by cutting spending. 

 “I opposed the new license plate requirement and voted against the state budget, which  raised taxes and fees by record amounts. People in my district have made it clear that they are fed up with new taxes and fees,” said Senator LaValle.  “I asked my constituents to join me in the fight to have the license plate fee repealed. 

“At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet and businesses are forced to cut jobs or leave the state, Governor Paterson and legislative Democrats enacted a budget with $8.5 billion in new taxes and fees, including the license plate scheme, to pay for billions of dollars in new spending.  The result of this spending binge is a multi-billion deficit.

“The Senate Republicans have continually called for the passage of a spending cap that would force Albany to live within its means,” continued Senator LaValle.  “If that were law today, we could have eliminated the projected budget deficit and have $1.2 billion leftover.  By contrast, the Senate Democrats are reportedly considering more than a billion new taxes on hospitals, insurance companies, and other health care providers. 

“We cannot impose funding cuts and create new fees that would force local governments to raise taxes and impede our ability to create jobs.  We must keep the pressure on the Governor and the Democrats to reduce spending to bring about a balanced budget,” concluded Senator LaValle.