Congestion Pricing: New York’s Latest Freedom Fee

The following article, Congestion Pricing: New York’s Latest Freedom Fee, was first published on The Black Sphere. If creativity in taxation were an Olympic sport, Democrats would win Olympic gold every time. Just when you think they’ve run out of ways to tax you, they innovate. Remember Chicago’s tennis shoe tax? A tax so ridiculous it makes you wonder if walking barefoot might soon come with a surcharge. And now New York City has taken it up a notch by taxing the basic right to move: “congestion pricing.” This tax is a scheme designed to wring every last dime out of commuters, tourists, and anyone else who dares to cross into lower Manhattan. Starting now, if you’re heading into the Big Apple’s Congestion Pricing Zone (CPZ) during peak hours, prepare to fork over $9. If you’re lucky enough to hit an off-peak hour, it’ll only cost you $2.25. That’s right, $9 for the audacity of driving over a bridge or through a tunnel — infrastructure you probably thought your tax dollars had already paid for. Turns out, you just paid for the the privilege to rent the roads and bridges. For perspective, let’s break this down: You’re taxed to buy...