Lopez Calls For Thruway Authority To Rescind Toll Increases

January 28, 2008

In response to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s audit of the New York State Thruway Authority, Assemblyman Pete Lopez (R,C,I- Schoharie) released the following statement:

“Having read the Comptroller’s audit of the Thruway Authority, I am convinced now more than ever that the Thruway Authority has unnecessarily imposed a ten percent toll hike on the people of this state. As Comptroller DiNapoli said in his report, the increased tolls, which amount to a tax on commuters and businesses that depend on the Thruway, will hurt the upstate economy further, at a time when more and more people and businesses are leaving New York because they can no longer afford to work and live here.

“I am calling on the Thruway Authority to roll back their recent toll increase, and come before the Legislature to justify their current and future spending. We can work with the Authority to ensure that every dollar of taxpayer money in their budget is justifiable and necessary. As I have said before, by failing to reverse their toll increase, the Thruway Authority has shown that Albany bureaucrats act in a vacuum with little regard to the impact their decisions have on the daily lives of New Yorkers.

“I believe that the Thruway Authority can set an example for other state organizations and show the taxpayers of New York that their taxes are being spent wisely and justly. During this time of limited funds and increased costs, we must all look for increased efficiency in government rather than quick-fix cost increases which will only dig the state further into debt and drive New Yorkers and businesses away.”

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