Garden State Times

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in New Jersey has expressed approval following the U.S. Department of Transportation's decision to terminate New York City's congestion pricing program. Eileen Kean, NFIB New Jersey State Director, commented on the development.

"The ending of New York’s MTA congestion pricing scheme is great news for New Jerseyans and their small businesses, which are already operating on tight margins," Kean stated. She highlighted that the congestion pricing tax was placing an additional financial burden on small businesses in and around the Metro Area. "The $9 congestion pricing tax on passenger cars and nearly $22 tax on trucks was only making it more expensive to work and operate a small business."

Kean also noted that businesses both within and outside Lower Manhattan's congestion zone faced increased costs due to this policy. She criticized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for its management approach, stating, "The MTA obstinately refused to come to grips with its notorious mismanagement and only focused on imposing a steep new tax."

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy's intervention to halt the tax was praised by Kean as beneficial for New Jersey's small businesses and commuters: "U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy’s move to block this unaffordable tax was the right choice for New Jersey small businesses and commuters."

NFIB has been advocating for small business interests across America since 1943, maintaining a nonprofit, nonpartisan stance dedicated solely to supporting independent business owners.