The money grab of congestion pricing is coming closer and closer to reality.
But we still don’t know how much this new tax program is going to cost us.
The Biden administration has given its OK to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s environmental and legal submissions for the program.
That means that the congestion pricing could be up and running as soon as next March.
Under the plan, motorists and truckers could pay as much as $23 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours.
Or it could cost less. The range of prices for motorists goes from $9 to $23. Truckers could pay between $12 and $82.
Knowing how government doesn’t leave any money on the table, I’d bet on the higher end of those scales.
It’s going to be a double-whammy for us either way. We’re going to have to pay the congestion tax ourselves if we go into Manhattan. Meanwhile, companies that have to pay the fee will just pass the cost along to consumers. That’s us.
And where does the money go? To fund the subway system, which Staten Island is not a part of.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy knows that this is little more than a money grab. He’s already yelling about how much this is going to cost New Jersey commuters who drive into the Manhattan. He’s looking at legal remedies.
Maybe Murphy is angling for a carveout for Garden State drivers. Maybe Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York lawmakers, his fellow Dems, will give Murphy a break. Maybe New York will cut Connecticut drivers some slack as well.
Because you know there are going to be carveouts. There are plenty of discounts and exemptions to London’s congestion pricing fee.
Think about the number of city and state officials and other workers who have parking placards and imagine how many of them will be angling for a congestion-pricing exemption. It’s going to be a great topic for contract negotiations.
Either there are going to be a bunch carveouts or there are going to be a lot of defaced license plates on city streets as drivers…
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