City residents think millionaires tax is best for public transit
New York City residents would much rather see a millionaires tax to help raise money for public transit than a congestion-pricing scheme that would toll drivers to get into Manhattan, according to a new poll released Friday.
The Quinnipiac University survey found that 64 percent of surveyed voters think a millionaires tax would be better for the city, as opposed to just 21 percent who rated congestion pricing as the better move.
Overall, 52 percent of voters oppose the congestion-pricing plan, which would charge a toll to enter Manhattan on the East River bridges and also make drivers cough up dough to drive into the borough’s central business district. Forty percent are in favor of it.
Meanwhile, support for a dedicated tax on those who make more than $1 million a year is much higher, with 72 percent of those polled in favor of it while only 24 percent are against it.
“Millionaires are more likely riding to work in Escalades or Town Cars than on the No. 6 train, but New York City voters say that’s all the more reason they should pony up funding to make commuting easier for the rest of us,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director at Quinnipiac.
Mayor de Blasio backs millionaires tax, while political foe Gov. Cuomo backs congestion pricing.
A Cuomo spokeswoman, Dani Lever, said, “Everyone knows the millionaires tax is politically popular, and that’s why the mayor raises it as a solution for everything.
“Everyone also knows the millionaires tax is a nonstarter with the [state] Senate – the lesson learned from the mayor’s pre-K proposal, when the governor had to make it happen with state revenues.
“The governor is focused on actually getting things done. So with the idea of a millionaires tax still DOA, we refuse to play politics with subway funding.”