It's Only Your Taxes

The MTA payroll tax is still alive and well in Albany, below is a statement from the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association:

MTA PAYROLL TAX PROPOSAL STATEMENT

by Jim Kaden, N-SSBA President

Nowhere but in the increasingly bizarre world of New York State government would school budgets be raided to fund a transit system.

Deceptively presented as a "business tax", the payroll tax scheme supported by the Governor and the Senate and Assembly Majority is a direct tax on employers. As school districts are among the largest employers on Long Island, they would bear the greatest share of this portion of the MTA bailout, funds for which would come from the most overburdened source of government revenues....the local property tax.

The MTA plan would take well over $24 million per year from Long Island school budgets and the local property taxpayers who fund them. That is $24.4 million collected in school property taxes, with not one dollar going to support classroom instruction.

Of equally great concern is that this establishes a new revenue stream for the state, one that could be tapped whenever the MTA or any other quasi-governmental authority needs another bailout. The imposition of ANY tax on school payrolls, be it .33%., .25% or even .0001% will leave school budgets forever vulnerable for future increases to relieve the funding responsibilities of other levels of government.

New York City Senators leveraged their influence on behalf of their constituents and removed additional bridge tolls from consideration in their MTA plan.

We need our two Majority Senators to stand with us in opposition to this covert plan to hide a state tax in local school property tax bills.

We need our two Majority Senators to reject what is the equivalent of a permanent and escalating cut in education aid to Long Island.

We need our two Majority Senators to act on our behalf and tell the Senate leadership that LONG ISLAND SCHOOL BUDGETS ARE NOT an ATM for the MTA!

Call today:
Brian Foley 631-360-3356
Craig Johnson 516-766-5923