What to Know
- Lawmakers on both sides of the Hudson River have introduced legislation that will prohibit drivers from paying more to get to the city.
- A congestion tax introduced Thursday by US Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) would bar the US Department of Transportation from making new capital investment grants to projects of the MTA in New York City until drivers at all New Jersey crossings and the outer boroughs into Manhattan obtain exemptions from any congestion tax.
- The MTA has long argued that congestion pricing is essential and would bring them $1 billion a year.
NEW YORK — A major bipartisan push against congestion pricing is underway in Manhattan.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Hudson River have introduced legislation that will prohibit drivers from paying more to get to the city.
A congestion tax introduced Thursday by US Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) would bar the US Department of Transportation from making new capital investment grants to projects of the MTA in New York City until drivers at all New Jersey crossings and the outer boroughs into Manhattan obtain exemptions from any congestion tax.
At the same time, it would also change the US Tax Code to offer travelers a federal tax credit at the end of the year that would be equal to the amount they paid in congestion charges.
The MTA’s congestion pricing plan has been discussed for more than a decade. It’s the plan that would charge drivers, especially from New Jersey, $23 to enter Manhattan anywhere south of 60th Street. The pricing plan has yet to be implemented.
The MTA has long argued that congestion pricing is essential and would bring them $1 billion a year.
MTA head of external relations John McCarthy said in part: “Surely from his time in Albany, Congressman Lawler knows that congestion pricing is an established law in New York State. It’s good for the environment. , good for getting fire trucks, buses and delivery vehicles through town, and good for the 90% of people who rely on mass transit.”
The congestion charge announcement is already being pushed back not only by the MTA, but also by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said the congestion charge is still on track to be enforced.
