Talk Of Trash Tax Already Causing A Stink

NY1

07/21/2010 07:47 PM

By: Josh Robin

The Bloomberg administration is considering making New Yorkers pay for garbage pickup as a way to help solve the city's financial crisis.

Proponents of the idea say it would also cut down on waste.

A former sanitation official says many New Yorkers could end up paying less overall taxes if trash collection is separated from general taxes, and people are charged for what they throw away, not their neighbors.

Paying for trash pickup is widely practiced elsewhere.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says it's just something under consideration for now, while others says the idea stinks.

"I think it's just in the mix. I'm not going to rule out anything, there's no sacred cows," said the mayor.

"People are paying through the...you know around here -- highest property taxes around," said State Senator Andrew Lanza. "When you put all the taxes in a basket, we're the highest taxed burden in the nation. So you should expect that all your services are covered there."

"I think it's a little ridiculous. They're nickel and diming us and they have to realize that if they want to pump money back into the economy, it's not going to be by taxes on something like that," said one city resident.

The city produces 11,000 tons of garbage a day, and a full fifth of residential property taxes go to pay for taking care of it. And that's not even including commercial garbage, hauled by private firms.

http://statenisland.ny1.com/content/top_stories/122488/talk-of-trash-tax-already-causing-a-stink