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CAPITAL REGION
Residents start to feel new fees from state
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Drivers may not have noticed the $5 extra they’ve paid for automobile insurance since 2005.
    The relatively innocuous fee is tucked into the overall cost of a policy and is listed as one to support “motor vehicle law enforcement” in New York. But when the state budget was passed last year, the fee doubled.
    The motor vehicle law enforcement fee is now estimated to bring in roughly $64 million to the state each year. It’s among a host of new fees or fee increases that were adopted by the state Legislature last year and are either being collected now or are scheduled to go into effect shortly.
    In total, Gov. David Paterson’s 2010 budget introduced or increased the rates for 31 different fees. The higher fees increased the amount of money pumped into the state’s general fund from $78 million in 2009 to an estimated $270.9 million this year. When all fees are included — those that pay for services outside the general fund — the additions brought in roughly $479.4 million, or more than double the $206.2 million from 2009.
    State officials claim they had no choice but to implement a more aggressive schedule of fees to contend with New York’s ongoing fi scal woes amid the economic recession. With less tax revenue coming in and more demand for social services, increased fees were used as part of the solution to the burgeoning budget defi cit.
    “We were heading right into the jaws of this recession,” said Erik Kriss, a spokesman with the Budget Division. “When that happens, there are three ways of dealing with it: increase revenues, decrease spending or borrow.”
    The budget doesn’t include nearly as many fees included in the 2010 fi scal year that ended April 1. Kriss said the governor instead focused on reducing spending in the plan for 2010-’11 enacted in August.
    But last year, fees were an easy way to increase revenues, since many of them had remained un- changed for years.
    “A lot of times, the concept of fees is to collect the money from those who use the service to pay for the service,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll find that fees don’t even cover the cost of a service.”
    The increases covered everything from a fee for saltwater fi shing to a charge for entering a horse into a race with pari-mutuel betting. But perhaps the most noticeable fee increases for state residents were those imposed through the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
    For instance, the cost for registering most vehicles in the state increased by about 25 percent, with the average fee jumping from $44 to $55, raising revenue from $51.9 million in 2009 to $103.1 million in this past fiscal year. The cost to secure a license or renew an existing license also increased by 25 percent.
MOTORIST OUTRAGE
    Saratoga County Clerk Kathy Marchione said, “At the beginning, you always get more complaints.” But as time passes the outrage has diminished.
    Still, those coming into the county’s Department of Motor Vehicle branches are astounded by how much it costs them to complete transactions. She said many don’t understand that the fee increases are prompted by the state budget and not imposed by the department. “The ultimate decision on fees are not ours.”
    Richard Darling, the owner of Easy Method Driving School in Schenectady, also hears about fees from his customers. Parents taking their teen drivers to his school have been astounded to find that a permit for 16-year-old driver now costs nearly $100, when it cost only half that much before the 2010 budget passed.
    His business also has to pay more now: The state now charges $50 for books of 50 pre-licensing classroom certificates that were once provided free of charge. But he’s not that bothered by the added cost, which is more than covered by one driver taking his $45-per-student class.
    “It’s not that big of a deal,” he said.
    The situation is a little different at Vanderwarker Security Training. The small Schenectady-based security guard training company will need to start paying the state a $500 certification fee, plus a $250 renewal fee every fi ve years.
    Company owner Irene Vanderwarker said the new fee is likely to put many small security schools out of business. Her business is parttime and normally only takes in around $1,500 per year, meaning the fee structure would eat away a portion of her profi ts.
    “Now we have to actually work it to make it a business,” she said.
    But Vanderwarker is looking on the bright side. She said the added cost could result in better regulation for the industry and less competition, which could ultimately work in her favor.
    “This is what I’ll do when I retire,” said Vanderwarker, who also has a full-time security job in the area. “That’s the only reason I’m hanging onto it.”
HOUSING AND HUNTERS
    State fee increases are also not helping the sluggish housing market, said James Ader, the CEO of the Greater Capital Association of Realtors. The state now charges $125 for recording deeds on residential property, which is a $50 increase; deed recording fees for commercial properties were boosted from $165 to $250 under the 2009-2010 budget.
    Ader said his members have complained about the fee, especially given its timing.
    Outdoor sportsmen aren’t exactly tickled with the new schedule of fees either, said Jacquelyn Francisco, the clerk in the Montgomery County town of Florida. She said hunters last year were shocked to see the increases, which vary depending on the type of license; the basic game licenses went up $10, while the fees for muzzle-loading and bow hunting both rose $5.
    “Everybody complained about it because it was a huge increase,” she recalled.
    Ron Deutsch, the executive director of the left-leaning New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, said the added fees are “another example of regressive taxation” enacted by the state. In short, he said, the added fees being levied aren’t based on a demonstrated ability to pay them.
    Deutsch said the Legislature’s increased reliance on fee revenue to pay for state services is a refl ection of the dwindling burden being carried by the wealthiest New Yorkers. Meanwhile, he said the average wage in the state has dropped down to a level not seen since 1997. ........................>>>>.....................>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01102&AppName=1

New yorkers are being nickeled and dimmed to death!! They need to cut spending and cut taxes!!! Plain and simple!

But God forbid that they should cut spending. Then the same whinny people who want lower taxes, don't want to let go of ONE government handout program!!!

And I'm sure that there are PLENTY of patronage jobs that can be slashed!

Last year Patterson raised the tax on the highest earners in the state in order to raise 4 billion dollars to offset NYS debt. The millionaires left the state and the state lost 1 billion in revenue so he turned around and laid the tax on everyone in the state even the poorest of the residents who are the ones who will have to pay the fees in order to drive, purchase licenses, or buy a house. So much for the Dems being the champion for the working person.

NYS has been and will be in the sh!tter no matter what party is in! That is why my vote will go to Paladino!! Ya wanna shake up NYS? Then let the 'newbie' have a shot at it! It he doesn't fill the bill.......vote'm out! IMHO

You're right about NYS, if they don't make some changes very fast they'll pass California for having the biggest deficit.

Both the dems and reps 'insiders' in NYS know who they can play and who they can't. Who they can cut a deal with and who they can't.

Put Paladino in there and they won't know what the hell to do! Well that's our hope! But we are willing to give it a shot!

Quoted Text

Drivers may not have noticed the $5 extra they’ve paid for automobile insurance since 2005.
    The relatively innocuous fee is tucked into the overall cost of a policy and is listed as one to support “motor vehicle law enforcement” in New York. But when the state budget was passed last year, the fee doubled.

pretty F'EN interesting......

out of the 100% of folks that voted

2/3 voted for Gumba Cuomo
they would be the whiny a** non-independent union welfare types

1/3 voted for Pissed off Paladino
they would be the independent outside the familia folks

It certainly IS that visceral..........'protection money' is costing us WAY TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET OFF MY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why the NYC demcocraps don't need another vote. EVER.

Cuomo is no gumba.  You guys are such bigots.

He sounds like a Republican on the radio today!

Quoted from 612

Cuomo is no gumba.  You guys are such bigots.

NAH....I AM a gumba......but what I am more is F'EN mad