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 the car (sales tax), taxed to drive the car (gas tax), and taxed to park it (meter fees). Now, NYC is here to remind you that you can also be taxed for moving it. What could they possibly think of next, beside a mileage tax?
The “Racism and Classism” Angle
Now, I hate to borrow from the Left’s playbook, but if everything can be racist and classist, then so can congestion pricing. First, let’s address the obvious: poor and working-class people, who can’t afford Manhattan rents, commute from outer boroughs. They’re the ones paying the $9 tax just to get to work. Meanwhile, Manhattan’s elite sip organic matcha lattes, unaffected by this new “traffic relief” tax because they have chauffeurs or live in million-dollar apartments within walking distance of their Pilates studios. But sure, this is all about “fairness.”
Second, isn’t there something inherently discriminatory about taxing people from the Bronx differently than those who live south of 60th Street? For years, Democrats have hammered the notion that gentrification is evil because it pushes marginalized communities out of their neighborhoods. Now they’re taxing them for driving back in.
A Taxation Hall of Fame
Congestion pricing is just the latest addition to the Democratic Party’s Hall of Taxation Fame. Remember California’s “text message tax”? Or the soda tax in Philadelphia, which was supposed to fund pre-K but instead made Diet Coke cost more than beer? And let’s not forget the mileage tax proposal that’d let Uncle Sam keep tabs on every mile you drive. They’re not just taxing your movement — they’re taxing your existence.
And don’t even get me started on Chicago’s tennis shoe tax. Imagine your kid needing new sneakers for gym class, and now you’re paying a premium because some bureaucrat decided Nike Airs are a “luxury.” What’s next? A “shoelace adjustment” fee?
The Inevitable Spread
Undoubtedly, congestion pricing won’t stop in New York. Once the idea generates revenue, cities across America will jump on the bandwagon. Los Angeles might tax you for driving on the 405, claiming it’ll reduce smog. San Francisco could slap a fee on crossing the Golden Gate Bridge during sunset hours. Heck, Chicago might double down with a “wind tax” because, well, it’s the Windy City.
But the worse thing about congestion pricing is, it’s not about traffic relief. It’s about revenue. Every time Democrats pitch a new tax, they wrap it in flowery language about fairness, climate change, or social equity. But peel back the layers, and it’s always the same — finding new ways to fund their bloated budgets while pretending it’s for your benefit.
So next time you’re stuck in traffic, paying $9 to sit on a Manhattan bridge, remember: you’re not just a commuter. You’re a cash cow.
