Senator Zeldin: MTA Must Not Bond Against MTA Payroll Tax Revenue

RONKONKOMA— Today, Senator Lee Zeldin (R, C, I—Shirley), member of the New York State Senate’s Transportation Committee, released the following statement in response to the MTA’s proposal to make the remainder of the MTA Payroll Tax permanent.

“The MTA Payroll Tax should have never been created in the first place. It was part of a $2 billion taxpayer funded bailout of the MTA in 2009, which created a new tax on jobs in the height of a recession. It was created because New York City centric Democrats, who at the time controlled all branches of state government, look at Long Islanders and other NYC suburban taxpayers as their personal ATM.

As a State Senator, I successfully fought to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax for 80 percent of employers, including 34,000 employers in Suffolk County alone. It should be entirely unacceptable to allow the MTA to make the remainder of the Payroll Tax permanent. Instead, the MTA should pursue efficiencies to operate at a lower cost for the public.

We must support our nation's largest mass transit system, but at the same time, MTA management needs to stop their endless scheming to rip off riders and non-riders because they find it as the easier option than trimming fat from within. The MTA should dedicate all of their focus to internal efficiencies no matter how large or how small they can find savings from any part of the system."

Press Contact: Jennifer DiSiena (631) 585-0608 or disiena@nysenate.gov