Local Lawmakers Blast New DMV Fees

The usually mild-mannered State Senator Vincent Leibell expresses anger at Gov. Paterson and the Democratic majority in the State Legislature for leading the charge which has resulted in excessive motor vehicle fees. Local lawmakers are saying, “Governor Paterson: enough is enough!”

Calling it a “crime to the motorists of New York State,” Putnam County Clerk Dennis Sant led a news conference last Friday at DMV headquarters in Southeast urging that the governor repeal new license and registration fees that took effect September1— charges earmarked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which Legislator Dan Birmingham said stands for “More Taxes Again.”

Assemblyman Greg Ball, speaking at the event, said, “The only thing Governor Paterson and the legislative majority have accomplished by their actions is to make sure New York State license plates become Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida license plates, when New Yorkers will be forced to leave their homes.”

With State Senator Vincent Leibell, Assemblyman Greg Ball, Deputy County Executive John Tully, Legislators Dan Birmingham and Tony Fusco, Sheriff Don Smith, District Attorney Adam Levy, Patterson Supervisor Mike Griffin, Kent Councilman Karl Rohde, and Westchester Legislature Minority Leader George Oros in attendance, Sant charged the governor had shown a “remarkable lack of empathy and understanding towards his upstate constituents” through a series of unnecessary fee hikes that will impose great hardships on Putnam County residents already struggling with higher taxes and a weak economy.”

Effective Tuesday, driver’s license and vehicle registration fees have increased by 25 percent, meaning that an average driver’s license has risen from $50 to $64.50, while a car registration has risen from $45 to $56. In addition, effective next April 1, all registered vehicle owners will be required to obtain new license plates and renewed registrations, forcing motorists to pay the new fees as well as an additional $10 for a new license.

Sant called the state’s action “redundant and unnecessary. It only serves to benefit the state’s general fund for programs that don’t even benefit the motorists of New York State.”

Because of a mandate by the Democratic majority in the State Legislature, Putnam residents will also have to pay a $16 supplemental fee on all driver licenses bringing the cost to $80.50. There is also a $50 supplemental fee for all vehicle registrations, making the average vehicle cost $106.50 for plates. These numbers do not include new taxes and fees that will be tacked on.

Al Lotrecchiano of Carmel received his new registration cards last Saturday: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when one of my vehicles increased in price from $47 to $123 while the other from $44 to $112. This is total insanity!”

Assemblyman Ball blasted Governor Paterson, calling him “hopeless,” while attacking members of the New York State Legislature as “hopelessly addicted to an unsustainable level of spending.”

Legislator Oros predicted the added fees will “break the backs of many lower Hudson Valley families. With the struggling economy, this will be the difference between making a mortgage payment or a rent check. The entire region must galvanize and prevent this from happening.”

Sheriff Smith also encouraged the governor to reconsider, since “this comes at a particularly bad time in our state’s history. Unemployment continues to increase and people are having it extremely difficult just to make ends meet.”

Legislator Birmingham told the gathering: “What MTA really stands for is More Taxes Again. By allowing this dangerous trend of tax-andspend policies to continue, we are putting the vitality and prosperity of our county at risk. If New York does not alter its methods soon there will not be many people left to tax.”

Senator Leibell said the new motor vehicle taxes will “bring New York State to its knees. People are not moving to New York but are leaving in record numbers. Why? They are being forced to leave our state and relocate to the south and southwest because of the cost of living in New York, a major component of which is our tax structure. It must be changed. The window of opportunity is narrowing quickly. The MTA accord is devastating to the suburban and rural areas of New York State.”

Calls made to the Governor’s press office seeking comment from Governor Paterson were not returned.