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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Richard Chow, Taxi Driver/Owner from New York Taxi Workers Alliance
4:36:24
·
137 sec
Richard Chow, a taxi driver and owner for 19 years, testified about the impact of debt forgiveness on taxi medallion owners and the need for further financial assistance. He highlighted the success of previous debt relief efforts and called for additional support for drivers facing high loan payments.
- Requested an urgent $30,000 grant to help drivers with loan forgiveness and medallion transfers under the Citibank guarantee
- Asked to keep the Medallion Relief Program (MRP) open and provide more funds to drivers
- Proposed repealing sales tax and reinstating a $1 per trip fee for drivers
- Urged the city to invest in the medallion loan program to save drivers' lives, suggesting less than $20 million would be needed
Richard Chow
4:36:24
Hello, good afternoon chair and everyone.
4:36:28
My name is Richard Chow.
4:36:30
I am a member of New York Taxi Walk Island member.
4:36:34
I'm an owner driver.
4:36:35
I'm driving a taxi for nineteen years.
4:36:38
My lender and mother gave before my loans payment was $2,670 per month.
4:36:46
After 02/2021, we won a debt forgiveness and Citibank guarantee.
4:36:52
My payment is $1,234 because of the we driver participated in fifteen day hunger strike.
4:37:03
Our life my our life is much easier We can because we can pay the the time on time, the payment, we can bring the more food to to the table for my family.
4:37:15
Now my fellow driver, their loan lender is OSK, Medallion loan, financing, SNR, their payments were 500 per week.
4:37:27
Some months of five week, they pay 2,500 per month.
4:37:32
This is unfair, and we wanted urgent $30,000 grant for the set it is only 6,000,000 cost $6,000,000 It's for set the loan forgiveness and allowed to transfer the money medallion medallion under the Citibank guarantee as soon as possible.
4:37:59
Please keep the MRP program, open the fund, give it to the driver.
4:38:04
We wanna repeat the sale tax about $23,900 for on the way.
4:38:10
Please add more money for the tips and bring back $1 per trip to the driver.
4:38:18
Please help the driver and the city also should invest a lot city invest a lot of million dollar budget in the park program.
4:38:28
The city should invest the medallion loan, 20 less than $20,000,000 set up for the medallion loan saving their driver lives.
4:38:41
Thank you so much.