MESSAGE
| DATE | 2008-04-04 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Brooklyn Congestion Price Fixing
|
I am a deeply concerned American who wants to ensure that the streets of Manhattan remain free for drivers and pedestrians alike. Therefore, I sincerely urge you to OPPOSE the adoption of any CONGESTION TAX on Manhattan's streets.
The congestion taxation plan, as recommended by the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission, is simply a bad deal for New Yorkers and other Americans who have to drive to Manhattan to work for a living, for doctor's visits, for picking up their children from school, for purchasing goods or services, or for simply traveling around their own city for any reason!
The tax system mentions that drivers will have to pay about $2,000 extra a year to drive into the Tax Zone (and trucks at about a whopping $5,000 a year). Meanwhile, the Independent Budget Office has found that the median income of car commuters living in New York City who work in Manhattan is only $41,209, and for all commuters, $51,021, most of whom are either married or have families. This tax will only adversely hit middle class and working families. How can this be a fair mechanism to generate revenue?
While we all need to do our part to help the environment, placing a stifling financial burden on those who have chosen the 'lesser of two necessary evils' and drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street everyday is a grave injustice. Besides, the City's 2007 Emissions Inventory shows that CO2 emissions from vehicles have decreased 6% from 1995 to 2005. We're already cleaning up the environment without having to punitively tax working families more!
It also says that there will only be an estimated 6.8% decrease in traffic, and only a measly 1.4% of current drivers will decide to stop driving into Manhattan altogether. Therefore, the benefit to the environment and to drivers seems to be significantly dwarfed compared to the cost imposed on the individual drivers, businesses and customers.
Furthermore, while our mass transit and transportation systems desperately need dramatic improvements, we ought to find a way to make better use of the resources we currently have.
For instance, London's tax has almost doubled in the two years that it started, and the size of the zone double in size in the tax's fourth year, despite heavy public opposition to these expansions. And yet, London still had to increase mass transit fares by 10% two years after the tax began!
New York State is already the highest taxed state in the nation, and we are losing jobs and residents to less financially burdensome locations. Adding to the already oppressive cost of living in New York State and New York City, this tax would serve as yet another reason for families and young people to begin their lives somewhere else.
I truly want to see New York City remain the world's greatest, most populous and most successful place to live, work and play. However, I do not see a CONGESTION TAX helping us achieve that goal by any means.
So, once again, I strongly urge you to OPPOSE the adoption of any CONGESTION TAX. I thank you in advance for your consideration of my opinion in this matter.
Sincerely,
--
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You must be a stupid engineer then, because politcs and technology have been attached at the hip since the 1st dynasty in Ancient Egypt. I guess you missed that one."
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