This is bullshit. This'll just drive even more of my purchases to being online only.
Boost sales tax - New cash would be a rail help for MTA
BY JOE MAHONEY
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF
Tuesday, March 29th, 2005
ALBANY - Get ready to dig deeper into your wallet to pay for mass transit.
As a way to pump money into the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, state lawmakers agreed yesterday to boost the sales tax in New York City and its suburbs.
The 8.625% rate would jump by .125% under a deal that all sides agree is likely to result in the first on-time state budget in 20 years. Lawmakers last raised the sales tax in 2003.
"I can guarantee it," Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer) said about meeting the April 1 budget deadline for the first time since 1984.
"There's no doubt we can get there," Gov. Pataki agreed.
The budget proposal calls for asking voters to approve extra borrowing for transportation projects - including $1.4 billion for the MTA.
Lawmakers also want to boost the state's mortgage recording tax and fees charged for automobile titles. The new revenue would help cover the debt linked to the new transportation borrowing.
"Everything could still fall apart if voters in New York City don't turn out in big numbers this fall to support the transportation bond act," Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) said.
Legislators under court order to send more cash to New York City schools also want to increase education spending by $840 million - with some $330million of that earmarked for city classrooms.
But that's still more than $200million shy of what city school officials had hoped to see.
The tentative deal hashed out by the Democratic-run Assembly and GOP-led Senate is $1 billion more than the $105.5 billion spending plan Pataki recommended in January.
"We're adopting [the governor's] formulas and then we're doing an add in education," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) said.