Assemblyman Ed Ra (21st Assembly District) today was joined by members of the New York State Assembly at a press conference where he called on that chamber to bring legislation to the floor for an up-or-down vote that would repeal the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) payroll tax. This legislation, Assembly bill 8193A, was approved by the state Senate last week thanks to the strong support of Senator Jack Martins.

“The MTA has been using the taxpayers of New York like an ATM,” said Ra. “It’s time for the Assembly to bring this legislation to the floor for an up-or-down vote. The taxpayers of our community deserve to know who stands behind them and who does not. This legislation is a responsible measure to eliminate a job-killing tax that continues to crush our local small businesses, hospitals, schools, and nonprofits. This bill is about making our community stronger and it’s vital we vote on this for the future economic prosperity of our area.

“With 800,000 New Yorkers unemployed, we should be doing all we can to create jobs and lower taxes. Our schools and small businesses are forced to pay this tax while at the same time morning train service is being slashed and weekend services eliminated at several stations. The MTA payroll tax empowers a bloated bureaucracy to continue to fund its inefficient services with our money as it eliminates services from the community it was designed to serve. It’s time to repeal this unfair tax today.”

Assembly bill 8193A would begin to phase out the payroll tax in 2012 by exempting small businesses with 25 employees or fewer, as well as public and non-public schools throughout Nassau County. The payroll tax would sunset entirely on January 1, 2014.