State Bill Would Ban NYC From Online Ticket Payment Fees

ALBANY

Legislation currently before the Senate and Assembly would bar New York City from tacking on surcharges when drivers pay tickets or fines online.

Sponsored by Simcha Felder in the Senate and Daniel Rosenthal in the Assembly, the bill is targeting a 2.49 percent surcharge for every online payment made to the city.

“This fee is just unfair,” said Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who caucuses with the GOP majority. “Online transactions are quick, efficient and cost-saving. While the city saves money, by reducing the time and personnel involved in processing a check or any other type of payment, they continue to punish New Yorkers who are fulfilling their financial obligations.”

New York state law bars retailers from charging any additional fee to customers paying with a credit or debit card, but continues to allow government agencies to levy a surcharge.

“It is shameful that these surcharges continue to be disguised as convenience fees,” Rosenthal said.

Sen. Felder said that New Yorkers are “over-fined, over-ticketed and over-taxed.”

The bill passed the necessary committees in the Senate and is scheduled for a floor vote. In the Assembly, it passed the committees but is not yet scheduled for a vote by the full body.

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