FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBANY, NY (Feb. 20, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy association with more than 11,000 members in the Empire State, released the following statement by NFIB New York State Director Ashley Ranslow in reaction to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) announcement that New York’s congestion pricing program has been terminated:

“The announced federal blocking of New York’s MTA congestion pricing scheme is very welcome news given the ongoing cost of living and affordability crisis plaguing the state, including small business owners. The $9 congestion pricing tax on passenger cars and nearly $22 tax on trucks only exacerbated the state’s affordability crisis, making it more expensive to live, work, and operate a small business in and around the New York City area. The last thing small businesses needed in New York is another unaffordable tax.

“Every small business below 60th Street along with small businesses located outside of the congestion pricing zone simply trying to conduct business in Manhattan faced the cost of their goods and services rise dramatically, cutting into their already razor-thin margins and driving prices higher for consumers. Further, the MTA has a notable and well-documented history of mismanaging its funds, but instead of getting a handle on how the agency spends its money, the Board relentlessly pushed a plan to implement a new high tax, first at $15 and then $9 after fierce public opposition.

“Last November, eighty-three percent of voters said the cost of living in New York was a major problem, and small businesses were already struggling with mounting cost increases due to inflation, rising utility bills, increased gas prices, and countless new mandates and regulations. The decision by U.S Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to block this unaffordable tax hike was exactly the right choice for small businesses and all New Yorkers who live or work in the Metro Area.”

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For 80 years, NFIB has been the voice of small business, advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit env-nfibcom-uat.kinsta.cloud.