If your New York driver’s license or privilege is suspended for any reason (other than DMV error), you must pay a suspension termination fee. This fee is in addition to any fine, surcharge or other monies owed on the underlying traffic ticket or other DMV matter.
Sounds weird? Even though you pay what you owe, you cannot get your license back unless you pay more money. Well it is a weird fee and it is a relatively new one. Indeed, I know of no other state that has an STF or similar fee.
Although termed a “fee”, the STF is actually a tax (but politicians don’t like the T-word). It was concocted a few years ago and was initially only $35. It quickly doubled to $70 effective July, 2009. While $70 per suspension does not appear to be a large number, last year, STFs generated $32,945,771 for New York State, about a 1/3 of all revenue generated by DMV for traffic tickets. Pretty good for a tax, I mean “fee”, which was created out of thin air.
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Just goes to show, any time someone in government carries on about safety, it’s the money. This is nothing more than enforcement for profit. It needs to go. Set the fines to cover the costs, and do away with the arbitrary “court costs,” “suspension termination charges,” surcharges, etc. And while we’re at it, outlaw civil asset forfeiture. Governments steal more money from innocent people than actual criminals via CAF.
Matt,
Is there no limitation to the way they rip off Americans. I have been a resident of Virginia for the last thirty plus years. This year is my 60th year renewal for my drivers lic.. My Virginia License was suspended/revoked for a License Plate that was lost in Virginia in 1989. New York Plate was on an old Ford Truck as I was in the Military (Active Duty). At that time I was going through a divorce in Virginia and my ex-wife settled for the house and the auto’s including the truck. I turned over the truck in court registered to myself in New York at court order to her in Virginia. Thus License and Registration went to her.
I got nailed for no insurance and no plate since 1989 to now 2011. New York is now named Extortion. A Suspended Senior Citizen.
T Eaton,
Virginia is equally money-hungry. Like New York, they have a Driver Assessment Fee if you accumulate too many points. Even worse, it treats speeding above 81+ mph and speeding 21+ over the limit as misdemeanors.
Matthew Weiss