NY political leaders lobby to eliminate MTA tax

MINEOLA, N.Y. — Elected officials on Long Island are backing legislation that would drop a requirement for municipalities to pay a payroll tax to help fund the MTA.

State Sens. Lee Zeldin and Jack Martins have introduced a bill in Albany to exempt all counties, towns and villages.

A spokesman for Zeldin says the state currently collects about $56 million on the tax. About $3 million of that is from the Nassau County government, which has slashed hundreds of jobs to close a budget deficit.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation last month eliminating the tax for businesses with a payroll of $1.25 million or less. However, municipalities must still pay the tax.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the Long Island and Metro-North railroads, as well as the New York City transit system.