Described as a “black hole” for taxpayer dollars, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s drain of $430,000 in payroll taxes from Suffolk Community College has county officials fuming.
“This is an absolute money grab,” said Suffolk Executive Edward Romaine, who noted that the state exempts K-12 schools from the tax. “We pay all of this money and get nothing back.”
Romaine has been calling on the MTA to electrify the three Long Island Rail Road lines that run through Suffolk and take better care of its existing stations. “The fact that they are still using diesel trains in this era of environmental protection is a disgrace,” Romaine said. The county executive has also called for new stations in East Yaphank and Port Jefferson Station to ease the burden on commuters using the system.
“This is double taxation at its worst,” said Suffolk Comptroller John Kennedy. “You have county residents paying taxes for their college, and then the money gets siphoned off by another government agency. This has got to stop.” The MTA payroll tax also ensnares many other employers in the county.
Kennedy pointed out that Suffolk pays the MTA over $20 million yearly for station maintenance. “Service is erratic at best, and until the rampant, out-of-control crime in New York City is addressed, Suffolk County residents won’t go there unless they have to. We are paying for nothing,” Kennedy exclaimed.
The burden faced by Suffolk taxpayers falls on Marc Herbst, the county’s representative on the MTA board of directors. He got off to a rough start last month when he voted in favor of the MTA’s congestion pricing scheme to drain even more money from Long Islanders who have to drive in Manhattan.
The MTA’s insatiable appetite for cash is driven by what Senator Dean Murray calls a “black hole” for taxpayer dollars. The state-authorized behemoth spends over $19 billion annually and has a $54.8 billion capital spending plan. Murray argues that the agency could recoup hundreds of millions annually by cracking down on turnstile jumpers and toll evaders rather than taxing the college.
The MTA’s massive operation covers 12 counties in Downstate New York and portions of Connecticut. It handles over 11 million passengers on an average weekday and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels.