Taxpayers in New York State may be stuck in more ways than one following an announcement by the governor of New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. What is the announcement? All taxpayers who owe more than $10,000 in backed taxes to the State of New York will have their drivers licenses suspended.
Ouch. So not only will the New York taxpayer who is behind ten grand or more still be in financial trouble with their state, now they will be grounded from their vehicles too.
In a statement released by Governor Andrew Cuomo, the announcement of the plan to get paid or start handing down suspensions for drivers was made clear. “Our message is simple” governor Cuomo said, “Tax scofflaws who don’t abide by the same rules as everyone else are not entitled to the same privileges as everyone else.”
The governor also said “By enacting these additional consequences, we’re providing additional incentives for the state to receive the money it is owed and we’re keeping scofflaws off the very roads they refuse to pay their fair share to maintain.” So just how much does the State of New York plan to yield from this ultimatum?
The State of New York estimates that this year alone over twenty six million dollars of backed taxes will be paid by tax-delinquent citizens seeking to protect their licenses and their opportunity to drive legally without further repercussions of the law. The state further estimates that the new law of pay-or-lose-driving-privileges will bring in around six million dollars annually and has already sent or are in the process of sending out over sixteen thousand notices to individuals who are in danger of losing their drivers licenses due to backed taxes.