Tuesday, October 02, 2007
“Don’t Tax Him, Don’t Tax Me…
Tax that fellow behind the tree”. In almost predictable fashion, the menu of funding sources for the County’s share of mass transit is growing exponentially.
On the table now, and the subject of a public hearing tonight, are the optional taxes on car rentals and poured alcohol. Of course, those industries are rightly opposing being targeted by those taxes. One industry official has now suggested hitting the non-profit organizations who have a lot of employees who use mass transit to fund the system. (One might think that would simply be a fare increase instead of another tax, but that is not what was proposed). It has also been suggested that a city-county consolidation might do the trick.
Clearly, these folks have taken their eyes off of the prize. The key is to make the common sense reforms at the Port Authority in the way of a contract re-opener that demands wage and benefit concessions, permission to move to smaller buses, and the other numerous reforms we have previously suggested. This would avoid new taxes that would be disastrous for the County.
On the table now, and the subject of a public hearing tonight, are the optional taxes on car rentals and poured alcohol. Of course, those industries are rightly opposing being targeted by those taxes. One industry official has now suggested hitting the non-profit organizations who have a lot of employees who use mass transit to fund the system. (One might think that would simply be a fare increase instead of another tax, but that is not what was proposed). It has also been suggested that a city-county consolidation might do the trick.
Clearly, these folks have taken their eyes off of the prize. The key is to make the common sense reforms at the Port Authority in the way of a contract re-opener that demands wage and benefit concessions, permission to move to smaller buses, and the other numerous reforms we have previously suggested. This would avoid new taxes that would be disastrous for the County.
