The proposal of a congestion pricing tax in New York City has sparked controversy and debate, with many arguing that it should pass and be effective immediately. Supporters’ reasons range from: the necessity for more government funding, to combating climate change all the way to daily quality of life. I suggest to the reader that the measure not be passed for two simple reasons:
Firstly, the management of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has proven to be ineffective. Handing over more money to unelected bureaucrats will not fix the MTA's existing problems. The MTA has long been plagued by mismanagement, delays, and inefficiencies, which have led to widespread dissatisfaction among commuters. By introducing a new tax, the government would essentially be rewarding this incompetence and perpetuating the cycle of inefficiency.
The MTA has an annual budget of over 19 BILLION DOLLARS, employing over 70,000 men and women, rivaling some of the world’s top companies, INCLUDING their own private police force of over 1,200 men. Meanwhile they continue to BLEED money. They currently lose almost $700 million PER YEAR. In a recent report they admitted ONLY 55% of people who ride the bus actually pay. What other corporation in the world should survive if only HALF of their customers pay?
Lastly, on the topic of competency, the MTA recently spent 3/4 of a million dollars to “update” the turnstiles at ONE station on Archer Avenue - supposedly to combat fare evasion. But they’ve proven totally ineffective, with passengers simply swinging their hand on the other side and getting the electronic door to open for them.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the MTA’s board who voted on the Congestion Tax are NOT elected by the people. The MTA governing board is composed of men nominated by the NYS Governor, NYC Mayor and County executives of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Putnam counties. Our NYS Constitution clearly places powers of taxation in section 22 of Article 3 which governs the State Legislature, not appointees of the executive branch. “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and EAT OUT THEIR SUBSTANCE… He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of PRETENDED Legislation: For imposing Taxes on us WITHOUT our Consent; For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Government;’ This is from OUR Declaration of Independence was addressed to King George 3rd before the Boston Tea Party, most notably inspired by the Boston Port Act of 1774.
In conclusion, the proposed congestion pricing tax is not the solution to New York City's transportation woes. Instead, it is an unnecessary burden that would further exacerbate the problems faced by the MTA and its users. The government should focus on addressing the root causes of the MTA's inefficiencies and finding alternative solutions to the city's traffic congestion before resorting to a regressive tax that would harm the very people it is intended to help.
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