This ought to be one of the rare things that Republicans and Democrats can agree with. Lawmakers across the Island are backing legislation introduced by state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) that would repeal the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax at the village, town and county level.

As it stands now the MTA gets 34 cents for every $100 of payroll. That may not sound like much but, if the law is enacted, it will provide nearly $30 million in tax relief to municipalities statewide.

It’s simple, said Martin, “Our local communities, our villages, our towns, our counties should not be paying this tax.” The law will create savings which can be passed down to village, county and town governments in Nassau and Suffolk counties, he said.

In addition to the fares that riders already pay to ride, Nassau County pays nearly $3 million each year to subsidize the MTA. The payroll tax is clearly unfair. It’s time for the MTA, which has a budget of nearly $13 billion, to get its house in order and stop looking for new ways to pick the public’s pockets.

A Blank Slate Media Editorial