Suffolk to join Nassau in suit to fight MTA payroll tax

Suffolk County intends to join Nassau County in its lawsuit seeking to overturn the MTA's payroll mobility tax, which county officials argue is unconstitutional and overly burdensome on Long Island business owners.

Dan Aug, spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, said Thursday that Suffolk is "standing firm" with Nassau in opposing the tax, which charges employers in the MTA service region 34 cents for every $100 of payroll.

Nassau filed the suit against the state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in July in what County Executive Edward Mangano has conceded is a response to the MTA's plans to pull its financial support from Long Island Bus, which is owned by Nassau.

Last week Levy threw his support behind a similar lawsuit filed by a Long Island business owner, challenging the tax. Now he is prepared to have Suffolk get into the fight.

"We're going to be standing side by side with Nassau County in this effort," he said.

Levy has said the tax is particularly unfair to business owners in Suffolk, who get no MTA bus service and scarce Long Island Rail Road service, particularly on the East End.

Beginning next month, the LIRR plans to eliminate weekend service to Greenport for all but the summer months.Mangano welcomed Suffolk's involvement."The people have had enough of the MTA's gross mismanagement and job-killing payroll tax," he said. "I applaud Suffolk County and every other municipality that has joined me in this fight against taxpayer abuse. The MTA has clearly been put on notice."

Several municipalities throughout the state, including various towns upstate, have added their names as co-plaintiffs in Nassau's suit.

The MTA has said that, while the tax is collected by the state, the state supports it as an essential tool in helping fund the MTA, which is facing a $900-million budget gap.