The new $9 congestion charge is truly deadly, even for those who die.
Manhattan funeral home administrators told the Post on Monday that they are already considering passing on the additional fees to those who bury the dead.
Funeral homes that transport the deceased in hearses or other vehicles are not exempt and must pay tolls like other motorists if they drive below 60th Street in Manhattan.
It's a sensitive issue, but some directors admitted they are considering adding $9 to the total cost of a funeral to account for the inability to transport bodies by public transport.
Asked about the toll, Paul Denigris of Redden's Funeral Home on West 14th Street said, “All of the cost of doing business is passed on to the consumer.”
Redden's owns a fleet of hearses, limousines, and other vehicles used to retrieve and bury the deceased.
“We drive all over the city,” Denigris added.
Representatives from Beau Hook Funeral Home on Canal Street agreed.
“The cost will probably be passed on to customers,” Win Lei said. “It will be a flat rate including congestion charge.''
He said congestion charges would likely not be listed as a separate item and could appear insensitive.
Danny Busetta, owner of Peter Jarema Funeral Home on East 7th Street in the East Village, filed a lawsuit against the MTA and the federal government last year for failing to put the brakes on toll increases. He also became a co-plaintiff. It was enacted on Sunday.
Busetta said his business relies on shipping vehicles to cemeteries, crematoriums, hospitals and coroner's offices outside the central business district's toll zones.
“He has to drive many times a day from within the CBD zone to various locations outside the CBD zone. All cemeteries and crematoriums are outside the CBD zone, and many hospitals and coroners are also located outside the CBD zone,” says a lawsuit filed by New Yorkers challenging the congestion pricing tax.
The lawsuit said funeral homes cannot transport bodies using public transportation.
“For obvious reasons, Mr. Busetta is unable to use public transportation to transport the deceased New York City resident. The financial burden created by congestion pricing will likely result in Mr. Busetta losing business,” the complaint states. states.
This is simply an insult to the dead, who must also pay inheritance tax and estate tax on their assets when they pass away – dubbed the “death tax” by critics.
“Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes.'' Sadly, Kathy Hochul's congestion charge fraud reveals both to be true at the same time. That's ridiculous,'' said Rep. Michael Lawler, a Hudson Valley House Republican who is a staunch opponent of congestion pricing.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) said it would be cruel to impose a price on the dead.
“Even when you're dying, the MTA is still eating into your wallet. They don't care about anyone, including the families who are mourning their loved ones,” said Malliotakis, the toll opponent.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fosella added, “Maybe we need to change the old adage that we can't say anything with certainty in Manhattan except for death and burial taxes.”
In response, the MTA announced that it has resolved to limit exemptions from congestion tolls based on recommendations from the Transportation Mobility Review Board.
