With a budget gap of more than $2 billion, New York State is leaving no stone unturned to find ways to bring in more money. One newly revealed attempt is a mandatory new license plates which will cost $25 (up from $15). Adding insult to injury, the fee is being justified a public safety issue.
There's no word how different the new license plates will be from the current ones. The New York Governor's Budget Office says new plates are needed for public safety matters because many have wear and tear and new ones haven't been issued since 2001. The other reason: money. Next year alone, the budget office says the new plates are expected to bring in $130 million.
"I'm not aware of any plates falling off cars," said Kathy Hochul (D-Erie County Clerk).
Hochul said she sees firsthand how frustrated people are by added fees and mandates like this.
"It's totally punitive against people that are having an economic tough time in a recession that you're going to ding them for new license plates," said State Senator George Maziarz (R-62nd District).
Basic license and registration fees will also see a 25 percent increase this year. Sadly, this is a problem at all levels of government. Accountability, restrained spending, and substantive cuts never seem to be considered as options to bring budgets back into the black. There is nothing wrong with the license plates already on the road. In fact, mine is only a year old, yet I will be required to pay for a new one to help Albany get out a budget crisis, yet they are trying to say that my current plate is somehow unsafe.
Do they get why protesters are showing up at town halls across the country? I am guessing they don't. The people have had enough of being pinched for every last penny they have, when, in the midst of a recession that is only going to get worse, they ought to be holding on to more of their own money.
So, what are the voters of New York to do? The simple answer is to no keep reelecting the same people who keep sticking it to the taxpayers one way or another. But, sadly, I can't imagine anyone voting for the budget with such ridiculous hikes in taxes and fees unless they felt safe in the respective districts.