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Mayor de Blasio is still trying to make ends meet for the “Summer of Hell.” New York commuters are struggling to accomplish a simple a task as going to work as the subway system is undergoing much over due repairs. However, the issue might escalate even further if authorities don’t keep financially supporting the operations. Therefore, the mayor of New York will propose a new tax for the wealthiest 1% to fund subway repairs.
The Mayor Refused to Offer City Funds to Support Subway Repairs
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are both Democrats but with a different view regarding the New York Summer of Hell. They propose different ways to pay for the construction site. Therefore, the state is incrementally sliding deeper into the largest transit crisis that sees more mechanical failures, delays, and power outages than ever before.
However, the mayor felt the pressure to make a decision when the Chairman of Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Joseph Lhota, proposed an emergency plan. He urged the city to split the costs for the operations. However, the mayor refused to offer any financial support. Therefore, de Blasio turned to rich people to solve the issue with subway repairs.
The Upcoming Tax Plan Will Have Long-Term Effects and Will Affect Rich People Only
The mayor stated that the tax plan would have long-term goals and shouldn’t be viewed as a quick solution. The main mission is to gather almost $800 million. The majority of these funds will support upgrades for buses and subways. However, the plan needs state lawmakers to endorse it to be put into practice.
“Instead of searching for a quick-fix that doesn’t exist […] we have come up with a fair way to finance immediate and long-term transit improvement.”
City officials claimed that the tax would address only to married couples who earn more than $1 million or to individuals who make at least $500,000 per year. The tax rate will increase from 3.9% to 4.4% which will apply to 32,000 New York tax payers.
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