Earlier this year, a New York State assemblyman proposed a bill that would eliminate Thruway tolls for the summer months in an effort to offset rising gas prices.
What’s included in the bill, and will Thruway tolls be suspended from June through August?
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‘Toll holiday’ would run from June to August
The legislation was proposed by Democrat Angelo Santabarbara of Schenectady in early 2022. The bill would eliminate Thruway tolls from June until the end of August, according to News10 NBC.
Santabarbara argued this ‘toll holiday’ would encourage tourism in the state and said the loss of toll money would be made up through a federal fund surplus in the state budget.
The bill died in the state Assembly without being put up for a vote.
Related: Wayne County passes sales tax reduction on fuel, will coincide with state gas tax holiday
State response
The NYS Thruway Authority responded to the bill by saying:
“Removing tolls would cut off the only dedicated revenue stream used to maintain and operate our 570-mile system each and every day. The Thruway is a user-fee system supported by tolls paid by the people who use it, and not one cent of local or state taxpayer dollars pays to operate or maintain it. roughly one-third of motorists on the Thruway in the summer months are out-of-state drivers, so removing tolls gives them a free pass and shifts the cost to hard-working New York taxpayers. Our revenue must come from somewhere, and we think the fairest approach is that only those who use the Thruway, pay for it.”
Related: Work set to begin on Thruway improvements in Ontario, Seneca and Cayuga Counties
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