Problem Solved

And no silly congestion pricing cameras to fuss with:

City controller and mayoral wanna-be William Thompson Sunday proposed closing the MTA’s budget gap by hiking taxes for motorists.

Thompson’s plan would stick all metro-area car owners with supersized-vehicle use taxes based on the weight of their car.

The sliding-scale tax would be in addition to the sliding-scale, weight-based state registration fee they already pay every two years. That means about $200 extra for cars and $400 or more for heavyweights like SUVs.

“We need to assure that all those who benefit from a healthy transit system will pay their fair share,” said Thompson, noting that transit ridership reduces congestion.

Thompson’s proposed tax would affect all 12 counties of the so-called Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District served by the MTA — and raise as much as $1.8 billion annually, he said Sunday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has proposed closing its $1.2 billion budget gap by hiking fares 23% and slashing service.