State lawmakers early Monday were poised to approve a $175.5 billion budget that would hit New Yorkers with new taxes and fees on everything from luxury homes to paper bags — and driving into Manhattan south of Central Park.
Despite broad consensus on measures including an additional $1 billion in education funding and a permanent, 2 percent cap on property taxes, the Senate had passed only five of 10 budget bills by early Sunday night, while the Assembly had passed a mere three.
Both houses took breaks at around 6:30 p.m., ahead of what was anticipated to be their toughest votes, on a revenue bill weighed down with controversial proposals including criminal-justice reforms and a first-in-the-nation “congestion-pricing” toll plan for Manhattan.
“This revenue bill is filled with a bunch of bulls–t, but I’m going to vote for it anyway,” one Assembly member was overheard saying.