WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Thursday is introducing provisions in the House to defund New York’s proposed Congestion Tax. With New York’s Congestion Tax plan, New Jersey commuters would not only need to pay a bridge or tunnel toll, but drivers would also incur an additional $23-a-day toll if they drive south of 60th street in Manhattan.
That’s more than $5,000 each year for commuters already struggling to make ends meet, on top of the $4,000-a-year tolls to use the George Washington Bridge, Holland Tunnel, or Lincoln Tunnel to get into New York, and more than $10,000 a year for gas and parking in New York City.
Between expensive tolls, the cost of parking and gas, and New York’s proposed Congestion Tax, Jersey commuters will have to pay nearly $20,000 a year to drive into New York City.
Gottheimer’s first provision will prohibit New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) from using federal dollars until vehicles entering the Congestion Tax zone from the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel, or the George Washington Bridge are credited an amount equal to the toll charged.
A second provision from Gottheimer and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) will prohibit federal dollars from being used to implement Congestion Tax programs for any road, bridge, or tunnel until an economic impact analysis is completed and made available to the public.
“With people already struggling with higher costs, the new Congestion Tax would whack hardworking Jersey commuters with a new $5,000 annual tax if they take the George Washington Bridge to go to work in New York City. The dollars wouldn’t even support New Jersey or our public transit system,” Gottheimer said. “We need to defund New York’s regressive and ridiculous Congestion Tax until New Jersey drivers entering New York are exempt from the tax or credited back the toll they’re charged. We also need a full review of New York’s proposed Congestion Tax, so that Jersey families can see how this regressive and ridiculous tax will impact them.”
To help protect New Jersey commuters, Gottheimer also introduced the Anti-Congestion Tax Act earlier this Congress, along with Congressman Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2).
The Anti-Congestion Tax Act takes two key actions:
- It will prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from awarding any new Capital Investment Grants to MTA projects in New York until drivers from the New Jersey crossings into Manhattan receive exemptions from this new Congestion Tax.
- It will amend the Internal Revenue Code to offer drivers a federal tax credit at the end of the year equal to the amount paid in Congestion Taxes entering Manhattan from any of the three New Jersey crossings. This will protect Jersey drivers from double taxation.
Gottheimer has also announced a new “Stay in Jersey” campaign to urge all Jersey residents who used to commute to New York City every day prior to the pandemic, but then worked from home or a local office as the region recovered, to keep working from Jersey — to avoid New York’s proposed Congestion Tax, the cost of parking and gas, and expensive tolls.
