Here’s a look at a few of Governor Paterson’s proposed new fees in his 2010-2011 budget (and the amount they would bring in for the coming year). New taxes, fees and other collections account for about $1.4 billion of new revenue in the budget, by the governor’s numbers, helping to close a $7.4 billion budget gap.
-Increase cigarette taxes by $1 per pack ($218 million)
-New sugared beverage tax ($465 million)
-“Increase Certain Civil Court Filing Fees” ($41 million)
-Increased assessment on hospitals, doubling a 0.35 percent tax on revenues ($130 million)
-“Increase Nursing Home Assessment” ($65 million)
-Speed cameras for the state police, fining speeders $50 a shot, or $100 in work zones ($32.9 million)
-Allowing wine sales in grocery stores ($93 million)
-Extend Video Lottery Terminal (slot machine) hours ($45 million)
-“Legalize Mixed Martial Arts In New York” ($2.1 million)
-“Improve Non-Voluntary Tax Collections” ($221 million)
(A full list is on p. 60 of this PDF)
ebrown@observer.com