Rabbitt: Paterson Right To Put Brakes On License Plate Charge

Lawmaker calls governor’s reversal win for Orange and Rockland county drivers

November 16, 2009

Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt (R,I,C-Greenwood Lake) today called the abandonment of a proposed $25 license plate fee by Governor David Paterson a “victory for common sense.” The scheme was passed in the 2009-10 state budget – a tax-and-spend bill Rabbitt voted against – and required all drivers renewing their registrations after April 1, 2010, to pay 40 percent above the current charge for new license plates, in addition to a $20 charge for those motorists wishing to keep their existing license plate numbers. The license plate fee was part of a litany of nuisance taxes and new and increased user fees totaling $8 billion in the state budget. It is estimated that New York families are paying an additional $2,400 this year as a result of Albany’s fiscal recklessness.

“Governor Paterson is right to listen to the objections of thousands of drivers, hard-working taxpayers, and county clerks in his state,” said Rabbitt. “The decision to drop the $25 license plate fee is a victory for common sense and those New Yorkers tired of getting stuck with the tab for Albany’s annual spending binges. I applaud the grassroots efforts that led to the reversal of this colossally destructive scheme, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the New York State Legislature to remove other nuisance taxes soon.”

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