TWU Local 100 Calls for MTA Funding Protections to Be Guaranteed: Union Urges Gov. Cuomo to Sign the Transit “Lock Box Bill.”

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen issued the following statement regarding rollback of the Payroll Mobility Tax

“A rollback of the Payroll Mobility Tax would drain hundreds of millions of dollars from an already under-funded MTA. Trading dedicated public transit funds for a spoken promise from Albany to offset those losses is inadequate. The deal must be structured so that the flow of Payroll Mobility Tax funds to the MTA is uninterrupted. At a minimum, there must be statutory language guaranteeing that the MTA will receive every dollar which the Payroll Mobility Tax would have provided. Governor Cuomo and the Legislature would be better served by eliminating the PMT for certain sectors through targeted rebates. Structuring the tax reduction in this manner eliminates the uncertainty for MTA riders, who are primarily New York’s working families. Above all, the transit “Lockbox” bill (S.4257-A.6766) must be enacted to ensure that dedicated funds for mass transit go where they are supposed to go.  The MTA, riders and transit workers cannot afford to take further hits from Albany.  A tax change can only be a win-win deal if millions of mass transit riders are protected.”