No increase in NYC taxes this year, but tickets and fines continue to climb higher and higher.

According to the New York Times, raising revenue for NYC’s budget of $518 million (for the fiscal year beginning July 1) shouldn’t be difficult this year, considering fines for violating the various city codes are expected to reach around $802 million.
    

The fines cover areas such as sanitation and parking, with parking tickets being one of the most lucrative for the city.  The parking ticket collection offices are fairly efficient in processing payments.  A ticket settlement program that allowed violators to settle their ticket at a reduced fine was eliminated at the end of January for being too popular, with many violators settling large numbers of outstanding tickets. 

Bus lane violations are also big revenue generators for the city.  According to a senior state government official who declined to be named, “The cops have to write a certain number of parkers, and a certain number of movers.  They can fill the quota in an hour.  It’s easy quota-filling, and it’s easy money.”