8/13/2010 – Assemblyman Greg Ball (R, C, I – Patterson) announced today along with Westchester County Legislator John Testa, members of the Westchester County Legislature, as well as Yorktown Town Councilman Dr. Terrence Murphy and elected officials throughout the Hudson Valley the introduction of a County Resolution authorizing the County Attorney to sue the MTA over the MTA employer payroll tax. The lawsuit, which is led by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, also includes Putnam County, and the towns of Chester, Deer Park, and Monroe in Orange County.

“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.”

On August 5, Ball held a joint press conference with members of the Putnam County Legislature to announce it will be joining in the class-action lawsuit brought against the MTA by Nassau County.

“I applaud Nassau County for this innovative idea of defending the tax payers who are being abused by the MTA,” Murphy said.  ”This job killing tax has impacted the town, its school districts, businesses, and not-for-profits, which is all put on the back of the average taxpayer in order to fund a New York City transit system which we do not rely on.”

At Tuesday’s Yorktown Town Board meeting Yorktown Councilman Dr. Terrence Murphy submitted a resolution to be passed, which would have Yorktown join forces with several counties and towns impacted by the MTA Payroll Tax.

“The MTA instituted this job-killing, oppressive tax last year for no other reason than to grab more money to fund their bloated bureaucracy,” said Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano. “Clearly, the millions of dollars our businesses have handed over to the MTA have not been used for the benefit of the public.”

In March, Ball assembled representatives throughout the Hudson Valley 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.