Fair Fares shouldn’t require a special tax

“So why does Mayor de Blasio insist that we can only find the funding to help economically struggling New Yorkers get to work and make other essential trips using half-price MetroCards if we raise the millionaires’ tax? Tying specific programs or services to a dedicated revenue stream is often bad public policy. There is no guarantee that a specific tax or fee will generate precisely the right amount of funds needed for a given purpose. The revenue is likely to fluctuate from year to year, generating either too much or too little in needed resources, so the government will be forced to add other funding or violate the promise of what the tax or fee was supposed to be used for.”