Assemblyman Ray Walter (back, second from right) attends a press conference calling for the elimination of the 18-A utilities surcharge.
Assemblyman Ray Walter (R,C,I-Amherst) joined colleagues from the Assembly Minority Conference and members of the business community from across the state to call for the elimination of a costly energy tax. The group called for the 18-A utilities surcharge to be struck from the 2013-14 State Budget in order to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
“For too long, our families have struggled under the burden of high energy taxes. Small family businesses have struggled in this economy to pay all the taxes asked of them by the government. It’s about time they see some form of relief,” said Walter. “Every dollar taken from us by taxes is another dollar that isn’t invested in the private sector, another dollar that doesn’t go toward hiring a new employee, another dollar that doesn’t go toward reducing costs for the consumer. Extending an energy tax like this is the last thing our community’s economy needs right now.”
Section 18-A of the Public Service Law authorizes the state to impose a fee on electric bills from public utilities to fund the operations of energy-related agencies and authorities. In 2009, then-Gov. David Paterson signed legislation authorizing increasing the fee from one-third of a percent to two percent, a six-fold increase for most ratepayers. This fee was scheduled to sunset this year.
To see Assemblyman Walter speaking about this energy tax, click the link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdvFD9diqTc&.