Steve Rhoads: New Yorkers are tired of being Albany’s endless ATM

While Gov. Kathy Hochul is caught up in New York City’s mayoral troubles, with a divided administration and a former aide who has been charged as a Chinese Communist Party agent, she has lost sight of everyday New Yorkers. Instead of focusing on affordability and real solutions, she continues to push a failed congestion-pricing plan — even after the federal government rightfully ordered a stop to it.

Rather than moving on, the governor is now wasting even more taxpayer dollars on legal fees to fight Washington’s decision and to defend a deeply unpopular commuter tax. Congestion pricing does nothing to reduce traffic across New York City. It provides no toll-free alternative for drivers who rely on their vehicles for work, school or medical appointments. Worse, the toll rate was set primarily to raise revenue, not to ease congestion. This is just another way for Albany to squeeze more money from hardworking New Yorkers.

And they are tired of being treated like an ATM. Just weeks ago, Hochul proposed an $8 billion spending increase in her executive budget — without raising taxes. Yet at the same time, she is pushing a $1 billion congestion tax to bail out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. If the money was already available, why does she insist on shaking down taxpayers yet again? This kind of fiscal mismanagement is exactly why so many families and businesses are fleeing New York in record numbers.

The real issue isn’t a lack of funding — it’s a lack of accountability. The MTA already takes a cut of our sales tax, mortgage recording tax, real property transfer tax, gas and oil taxes, and a payroll tax on businesses. It doesn’t need another billion-dollar handout. It needs better leadership, stricter oversight and a commitment to efficiency.

While Hochul mounts a resistance campaign to keep congestion pricing with a glossy presentation for President Trump, perhaps Senate

Republicans should put together a bright-colored pop-up picture book illustrating the families and businesses leaving the state. The governor talks about affordability, but her actions tell a different story. Instead of cutting costs, she continues pulling more money from New Yorkers to fund wasteful spending.

Republicans have been clear from the beginning: Congestion pricing is nothing more than a burdensome tax on commuters and small businesses, designed to fill yet another massive budget gap at the MTA. The system is riddled with inefficiencies and has failed to earn the trust of the public.

State Senate Republicans are pushing for real solutions, like bill S.533, which would fully repeal congestion pricing and commission an independent audit of the MTA. New Yorkers deserve transparency, not another tax. Instead of forcing commuters to foot the bill, let’s work together to identify the real causes of the MTA’s fiscal crisis and demand accountability from the agency’s leadership.

Beyond congestion pricing, New York’s spending is out of control. Over the past six years under one-party rule, state spending has surged by 38 percent. We already spend more than Texas and Florida combined and 1.5 times more per person than California. This reckless spending drives up taxes on families and small businesses, making New York one of the most expensive states in the nation.

Instead of taking more from hardworking New Yorkers, Senate Republicans are focused on delivering real relief. Just two weeks ago, the Republican conference introduced a bipartisan plan to eliminate state income taxes on overtime pay and cash tips — a simple, common-sense measure that would help workers who go the extra mile just to make ends meet.

With the April 1 budget deadline approaching, Hochul and legislative leaders need to reanalyze their priorities and shift their focus from growing government to making life more affordable. New Yorkers deserve real solutions — not another tax hike disguised as a congestion relief plan.

End congestion pricing. Audit the MTA. Cut wasteful spending. Give hardworking New Yorkers the break they deserve.

Steve Rhoads represents the 5th State Senate District.