8/5/2010 – Assemblyman Greg Ball (R, C, I – Patterson) held a Press Conference today with members of the Putnam County Legislature in the lobby of the Putnam County Office Building to announce the introduction of a County Resolution authorizing the County Attorney to sue the MTA over the unconstitutional payroll tax.

“This MTA payroll tax is the final nail in the coffin of a state that is trending vociferously into a downward spiral,” Ball said. “Sheldon Silver and his legislative cronies are not leaders, they are Kamikaze pilots intent on sinking with the ship. Those New York City legislators must finally hear from the Hudson Valley and beyond that we are taxed beyond our ability to pay and we are simply not going to take it anymore.”

The Resolution, to be introduced in the Legislature, “authorizes and directs” Putnam County Attorney Jennifer S. Bumgarner to “intervene in the matter of the County of Nassau against the MTA, as Petitioners or parties of interest.” Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano announced on July 29 that he would challenge the Constitutionality of the MTA Payroll Tax and seek the reimbursement of all money taxed from his county. Steve Neuhaus, Chester Supervisor, began coordinating a similar effort in Orange County this week. This Resolution will allow Putnam County to join in the lawsuit.

In March, Neuhaus and representatives from the other counties in the MTA Service Area joined Greg Ball on the steps of the Westchester County Office Building to call for a repeal of the tax and a forensic audit.

Now, with the New York State Legislature refusing to act, Ball says it is time for the Counties to take legal action.