Ping 'em if ya got 'em.
Whew ... good thing I don't commute to DC.
More info on this:
MAYOR GIULIANI AND STATE COMPTROLLER McCALL EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO ALBANY'S PROPOSED ELIMINATION OF THE COMMUTER INCOME TAX
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and State Comptroller H. Carl McCall today during a press conference at City Hall announced their opposition to the State Legislature's proposal to eliminate New York City's commuter income tax. The elimination of the .45% commuter tax would cost the City an estimated $360 million annually.
"Today I'm happy to be joined by State Comptroller McCall to express my continued opposition to Albany's proposed legislation to eliminate the commuter income tax," said Mayor Giuliani. "First and foremost, I am the Mayor of New York City, and I feel it is my duty to express my strong opposition to this legislation, which would eliminate the modest .45 percent tax non-residents must pay while working in New York City. While my Administration has brought about more tax relief than any other administration -- $2.2 billion -- this tax is modest, equitable and justifiable. It is less than one-half of one percent and help support many of the City's services enjoyed by non-residents working in our City -- police, fire and transportation, to name a few. It helps to contribute to the subsidized transportation system for commuters which means they pay significantly less than the true cost of transportation."
State Comptroller H. Carl McCall said, "As the Chief Fiscal Officer of New York State and one of the fiscal monitors of New York City, I believe that eliminating this tax, at this time, in this cynical fashion, is a big mistake. While I certainly support reducing taxes, this move by the Governor and the Legislature seems more like a lesson learned in a political science class than one learned in an economics class.
"Any tax cuts in these times of surplus for the City and the State - and let's not be fooled by the good times; these times of surplus will not last forever - should be geared toward economic development and job creation, not political pandering," the Comptroller continued.
"I urge the Governor and Legislature to think about what they're doing - to think about all the reasons this is wrong. I urge them to reconsider and not pass this repeal. I believe the Governor and Legislature should spend less time on the City budget issues and more time on passing a State budget that is now 46 days late," the Comptroller concluded.
When compared to the 3.83 percent personal income tax City residents must pay, the commuter income tax that non-residents pay is a significantly lesser amount.
* A New York City resident with taxable income of $50,000 will pay $1,791.00 a year in personal income tax, while a non-resident, with a similar taxable income, will pay only $225.00 a year in commuter income tax.
* A City resident with a taxable income of $100,000 will pay $3,706.00 a year in personal income tax, while a non-resident, with the same taxable income, will pay only $450.00 a year in commuter income tax.
* A City resident with taxable income of $150,000 a year will pay $5,621.00 a year in personal income tax, while a non-resident, with the same taxable income, will pay only $675.00 a year in commuter income tax.
Follow me, just disregard the record...
Rudy is more liberal than George Bush, if that's possible.
But of course, this tax of people working in but not living in NYC made the tax burden less on those living and working in NYC. Cut off a stream of revenue that made life better for NYers.
Be nice if there were no taxes at all, but the entitlement and pension burden is monumental in NY.
As a well-paid commuter to NYC for a couple of decades I paid the tax. It didn't bother me. For @ sixty hours each week I was in their area of responsibility and using all the civic services that they pay for.
There were two specific tax cuts that would have directly affected me in NYC back in the 1990s. The first one -- the elimination of the city's commercial rent tax -- was left in place for Midtown Manhattan even though Giuliani had campaigned in 1993 on a platform of eliminating it. The other one -- the repeal of the "commuter tax" -- was passed in spite of Giuliani's vehement objections.
There is absolutely no reason anyone calling themselves a conservative should vote for this guy.
Rudy ping.
If you truly think your candidate is worth supporting, then at least have the convinction to come here and try and defend him, or at least refute the information within (if you can).
Ping your list while you're at it.
But I thought Rudy was a supply-sider?
Rudy, the Swiss Cheese candidate.
PING!
Oh please. There are enough reasons to oppose Rudy without having to resort to this crap. Rudy was the mayor of NYC. The commuter tax was paid by people who work in NYC, but live someplace else. The "theory" behind the tax, which had been around for generations, was that people who work in NYC use city services and therefore, they should pay something for the benefit. The argument against the tax was that the commuters already pay for the limited services they use through the sales tax, real estate and business taxes assessed against the places they work, eat, drink, and shop, and their state income tax, a portion of which goes back to NYC in State spending.
The people who benefit from the tax are the residents of NYC because the more taxes collected from commuters, the lower the tax burden on the residents. Like I said, Rudy was elected by the residents of NYC. He does not represent the people who live in Northern New Jersey, or on Long Island, or in the northern suburbs or Eastern Pennsylvania. In opposing the repeal of the tax, he was representing the best interests of the people who elected him to office. And while the tax was unfair to suburban residents, those people had their own elected representatives to serve their bests interests; not Rudy, whose only obligation was to look out for his constituents.
Yawn...a textbook example of a "tempest in a teapot." $360 million annually is pocket change to New York City communters. If 4 million people commute into NYC, then that's $90 a year per person. A 30 yard-line seat at a Giants game probably costs more than that.