Sen. Martins Launches Online Petition to Repeal MTA Payroll Tax

Continuing his efforts to , has set up an online petition for residents to affix their electronic signatures.

Martins says that the tax, which is imposed on businesses, school districts, local governments, hospitals and non-profits is hurting Long Island businesses and has been a burden efforts to ease the tax burden on residents and businesses and ignite economic development.

According to a brief from the New York City Independent Budget Office, the MTA Payroll tax accounted for $1.3 billion or just over 30 percent of tax and fee revenue for the MTA in 2010. The 2010 operating budget for the MTA was $10.9 billion.

“A key initiative to our economic recovery is repealing this tax, which should never been imposed. Now that it has, it’s up to all of us to work together to repeal it,” Martins said in a statement.

The New York State Senate recently  to phase out the payroll tax but stalled in the Assembly without being brought up for a vote.

It is Martins’ intention to use the online petition to there is public support to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax when the next legislative session begins in January.

“We need to show the Assembly leadership that we will keep fighting to rid our state of this tax. You can help by lending your support,” Martins said. “Together we can make a statement that the MTA has to live within its means. Our taxpayers are burdened enough. It’s not right that our schools, hospitals, local governments, non-profits and businesses have had to subsidize the MTA. Our residents who use the service pay enough for their train fares without the MTA having to go back to our taxpayers for more money.”

An Aug. 11 Quinnipiac University poll (Question 32) found that 42 percent of New York City voters said that the payroll tax should remain the same, with only 26 percent calling for its repeal. About 13 percent of respondents wanted the tax to be increased.

In suburban areas, 40 percent of voters want the tax eliminated while 33 want to keep the tax.

The petition can be found on Martins’ Senate webpage or by clicking here.