Post by Clipper on Jan 4, 2021 7:58:43 GMT -5
lite987.com/new-laws-in-2021/
I can see where the Thruway Authority would want to do away with cash tolls and toll collectors as a savings measure. ( however sad for those that have collected tolls for years) I can see collecting a small fee from those who don't have EZ pass. It costs money to do the billing and to mail out the bill. I DO find it a bit too much when they are going to charge a larger toll for those whose EZ pass is from out of state and even MORE for people from out of state who don't have EZ pass. Commercial vehicles now usually have EZ pass, and the tolls for commercial vehicles are quite substantial. Adding the extra charge for simply being from out of state is going to be a major hardship for out of state trucking companies, and should a company NOT have EZ pass the costs will be prohibitive.
It is a shame. Upstate NY is such a beautiful and vibrant place for visiting tourists as well as residents and commercial traffic is a large contributor to the coffers at the Thruway Authority. This extra charge to commercial trucks will simply drive many of them to traverse the state on non-toll roads, putting the extra wear and tear on those highways, as well as increasing the accident statistics for those highways. Other companies will avoid NY state completely. I see a possibility of the increased toll charges for out of state vehicles actually back firing simply because people will avoid using the Thruway, resulting in LESS revenue rather than more. It seems that NY State is always on a quest to dip a bit farther into people's pockets and unless you live downstate your chances of seeing much of that money returned in infrastructure improvements is rather slim compared to the money poured into downstate and NYC.
It seems at some point too much is just too much. Taxes, tolls, fees, and the costs of living in, or visiting NY State are driving people out of the state in droves. Kathy and I have actually occasionally contemplated moving back to NY now that my parents are gone, but the taxes are the main sticking point or prohibiting factor. Our taxes here are only about 1/6th of what they were in NY, and we have no state income tax here. We pay a little more in sales tax in some cases but it is still cheaper than paying all of NY State's taxes. I don't think I have heard of anyone from out of state wanting to move to NY State unless forced to by their job or something.
I personally know of two families that have moved here to retire simply because they absolutely couldn't afford to live on Long Island or in Westchester county on their retirement income. In both cases they are retired law enforcement officers and their families. One of them who I am personally acquainted with is a retired Suffolk County Deputy. He and his wife sold their home on Long Island and bought a 40+ acre hobby farm here. He says that they bought the farm, a few beef cows, a tractor, and still had money left in the bank from the sale of their Long Island home. I guess that is an indicator of what real estate prices are like in a middle class neighborhood on Long Island. He is a born and raised city slicker and has found peace and joy in country life and raising his chickens and beef cows. He says one of his latest joys is flipping off Andrew Cuomo with a smile every time Cuomo's face appears on the news, haha.
I can see where the Thruway Authority would want to do away with cash tolls and toll collectors as a savings measure. ( however sad for those that have collected tolls for years) I can see collecting a small fee from those who don't have EZ pass. It costs money to do the billing and to mail out the bill. I DO find it a bit too much when they are going to charge a larger toll for those whose EZ pass is from out of state and even MORE for people from out of state who don't have EZ pass. Commercial vehicles now usually have EZ pass, and the tolls for commercial vehicles are quite substantial. Adding the extra charge for simply being from out of state is going to be a major hardship for out of state trucking companies, and should a company NOT have EZ pass the costs will be prohibitive.
It is a shame. Upstate NY is such a beautiful and vibrant place for visiting tourists as well as residents and commercial traffic is a large contributor to the coffers at the Thruway Authority. This extra charge to commercial trucks will simply drive many of them to traverse the state on non-toll roads, putting the extra wear and tear on those highways, as well as increasing the accident statistics for those highways. Other companies will avoid NY state completely. I see a possibility of the increased toll charges for out of state vehicles actually back firing simply because people will avoid using the Thruway, resulting in LESS revenue rather than more. It seems that NY State is always on a quest to dip a bit farther into people's pockets and unless you live downstate your chances of seeing much of that money returned in infrastructure improvements is rather slim compared to the money poured into downstate and NYC.
It seems at some point too much is just too much. Taxes, tolls, fees, and the costs of living in, or visiting NY State are driving people out of the state in droves. Kathy and I have actually occasionally contemplated moving back to NY now that my parents are gone, but the taxes are the main sticking point or prohibiting factor. Our taxes here are only about 1/6th of what they were in NY, and we have no state income tax here. We pay a little more in sales tax in some cases but it is still cheaper than paying all of NY State's taxes. I don't think I have heard of anyone from out of state wanting to move to NY State unless forced to by their job or something.
I personally know of two families that have moved here to retire simply because they absolutely couldn't afford to live on Long Island or in Westchester county on their retirement income. In both cases they are retired law enforcement officers and their families. One of them who I am personally acquainted with is a retired Suffolk County Deputy. He and his wife sold their home on Long Island and bought a 40+ acre hobby farm here. He says that they bought the farm, a few beef cows, a tractor, and still had money left in the bank from the sale of their Long Island home. I guess that is an indicator of what real estate prices are like in a middle class neighborhood on Long Island. He is a born and raised city slicker and has found peace and joy in country life and raising his chickens and beef cows. He says one of his latest joys is flipping off Andrew Cuomo with a smile every time Cuomo's face appears on the news, haha.