A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:
“I am proud to have fought against this unnecessary cash grab, and New Yorkers should be proud their voices and objections to this theft disguised as a necessity were heard.
“This victory against tyranny and manipulation shows the governor and his Downstate puppets that if it’s your money they want, they better have good reason for it. The wallets of hard-working taxpayers have been bled dry for long enough.
“Gov. Cuomo’s decision to scrap his latest tax grab is a resounding triumph for taxpayers. The decision to instigate a $25 fee for new license plates, that cost no more than a few dollars to make, was an unfair and greedy money grab to fund the state’s lavish spending.
“The tax burden the people of New York are subject to already is preposterous. A state with $175 billion in tax revenue can easily afford to replace these plates without taking the hard-earned money from your pockets.
“I will continue to fight to keep your hard-earned money where it belongs. I devote myself to protecting the middle class against any unfair cash grabs, taxes or fees.”
UPDATE -- Late this afternoon, Senator Michael Ranzenhofer issued a statement about the issue:
The governor's license plate replacement plan hit a roadblock; facing a backlash, Cuomo put the brakes on his license plate replacement plan.
After weeks of defending his proposal to require the replacement of license plates over 10 years old, the Governor has decided not to move forward with the plan. The Governor and DMV had proposed requiring the replacement of all license plates over 10 years old.
As part of his mandatory replacement program, residents would be required to pay $25 for the new license plate and an additional $20 if they wished to keep their same plate number.
I voted against the legislation to allow for this charge when it passed in 2009 and I oppose the Governor’s most recent plan. In fact, I cosponsor legislation to prohibit charging additional fees for license plate replacements.
Perhaps most frustrating was the implication by the Governor that these charges were required when the law clearly gives authority to the Executive to charge less or waive the fee completely as has been done the last 10 years.
Facing tremendous backlash from myself and other representatives and overwhelming public opposition, the Governor announced that he would no longer require replacement. However, it remains unclear if he still plans to keep the proposed fee structure in place. I assure you that I will continue to monitor this situation closely.
As I have stated many times before, New York State is simply too expensive and nickel-and-dime fees such as the Governor’s License Plate Tax only make matters worse. We should be advancing proposals that make New York more affordable – not increasing costs to support unsustainable spending.
See The Batavian's previous post about the license plate replacement fees here.
For the proposal as announced last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, click here.
