Curley on Commuter Tax: Bloomberg, Stringer Can ‘Go to Hell’

Members of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders voiced opposition to any reinstatement of a tax on those who work in New York City but aren't residents.  

The freeholder board unanimously passed a resolution during its regular on Thursday, May 10 opposing the commuter tax. The vote came in response to reports that Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants the New York State Legislature to pass the tax, which was eliminated in 1999 after 33 years on the books.

“This just shows mismanagement on the city of New York that they can just go and try to grab a tax dollar from anyone. Unfortunately, We have over 24,000 people from Monmouth County who commute to the city and we need to do everything we possibly can to protect them,” Freeholder Director John Curley said.

Stringer has proposed reinstating the commuter tax at the 1999 rate of 0.45 percent, which would generate $725 million per year and be used to provide a revenue stream for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to support transit infrastructure.

The freeholder director didn’t mince words about his opinion on the New York City officials supporting the tax. “(What) I can tell Mayor Bloomberg and the Manhattan borough president is to go to hell,” Curley said.

The county governing body joins other New Jersey and Connecticut officials in opposing a return to the commuter tax. Both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Molloy have criticized Stringer’s call for a return of the tax.