New Bill Could Be Big Trouble for Food Trucks

Actually, John L, these trucks are screwing the little guy. They pay almost no taxes and they don't pay rent. It's almost impossible for small restaurants/businesses to compete. Plus their generators spew diesel gas into surrounding buildings.

SohoTimmy, I'm tired of people say that vendors "pay no taxes" and "don't pay rent." Neither of these statements is true.

All vendors are required to have a tax ID in order to be licensed (which the vast majority of vendors are); all pay sales tax; and many are faced with the exorbitant "self-employment" taxes on their declared income. Sure, it would be naive to think that every one of them declares all of their income- but WE ALL pay some taxes.

To your second point, I can't tell you how many times I have been accused of "not paying rent" - in truth, many vendors pay 2 rents - one for their cart, another for storage in a licensed depot or commissary. Some are further chiseled by landlords who require their renters to buy soda and hotdogs from their garage; others have to rent transportation to their spot. All of these are "rents" - even though most vendors are not forced to "rent" the spot they sell from.

OK?!

Damn I must be tired cause there's a lot of typos in that last paragraph, lol.

REVISED

I come on these boards and comment hoping that enough people listen, that enough people wake up and see what's happening to OUR great country and hoping that we can collectively turn things around but it pains me when I see that people are more inclined to pick on the little guys and not realize that unless you're in that Top 1% we're all the little guys and the bad guys are looking down on us conspiring while we're fighting each other for what's left of America, the remaining 7%.

They're just looking for ways to screw the little guy. Basically if you don't have the money to open a half-a-million dollar franchise then this administration doesn't want your business. This is about running the little guys out of town. Walk ten blocks in any direction in Manhattan and you'll see the same twenty franchises over and over. I'm a native NYer and I can't even recognize some of these neighborhoods anymore. NYC is losing the fabric of what made this city great. What made this city great was its individuality, its uniqueness and the small businesses aka "mom n pop" stores was a large part of that, but its over because they've pushed them out. Laws like this are created to push small businesses out without actually saying "get out". They make it so hard on these small businesses that they eventually have to fold. It's part of a systematic plan to drive small businesses out of this city.

And its part of a larger plan, remember the Top 1% of Americans own 42.7% of America's financial wealth, the next 19% own 50.3% and the bottom 80% of Americans only own 7% of America's financial wealth (economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2010)). This is staggering! The Top 20% owns 93% and the remaining 7% is being shared by 80% of America! Yet we sit here arguing about welfare recipients, immigration, etc as if this is these are the problems. The real problem is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at unprecedented rates. The problem is the the country's ultra rich are looting this country. The economic divide is getting greater and greater because the ultra rich are squeezing every dollar out of the rest of us. The American Dream is dead, they killed it when they destroyed the middle.

I feel sorry for Obama. See when a person decides to make a "change" that will benefit the 80% of Americans that only own 7% of America's wealth then the 19% that own 50.3% and the Top 1% that own 42.7% (Top 20% collectively own 93%) of America's financial wealth will use all their resources (ie media outlets, lobbyists, etc.) to discredit and destroy that person. It's easy to do the work of helping the rich get richer (as Bush & company did), that Top 20% will shower you with millions but try instituting "change" that benefits the voiceless 80% of Americans who only own 7% of America and don't have access to the propaganda machine, that don't own TV & radio, stations, newspapers, and can't hire lobbyists to influence politicians. I believe Obama is a good man, sincere, decent and sympathized with America's bottom 80% but as much as he would like to "change" things for them unfortunately that Top 1% is too rich, too greedy, and won't allow it. So they go on a propaganda run and discredit Obama in anyway possible, call him names, insult him, and tarnish his reputation on their websites, on their TV & radio stations and their newspapers until the masses, the very people he's trying to help, that bottom 80% start believing it and turn on him. And that's how the rich get richer and poor get poorer, and it's getting worse and worse. We're all slowly becoming economic slaves, if we're not already.

I come on these boards and comment hoping to enough people listen, that even people wake up and see what's happening to OUR great country and we can collectively turn things around but it pains me when I see that people are more inclined to pick on the little guys and not realize that unless you're in that Top 1% we're all the little guys and the bad guys are looking down on us conspiring while we're fighting each other for what's left of America.

Maybe we just need to designate some areas where food trucks can park or idle during certain hours, or, if no trucks are present, people can park. Perhaps some people don't like food trucks, but you can find a few people who are willing to shoot down anything. I don't have a problem with these trucks providing a service to a great number of people and providing a bit of variety. If their customers are trashing the sidewalks with wrappers and such, maybe that would sway me. But my guess is that if you asked 100 people what they thought, 20 would love the food trucks, 70 wouldn't care, 7 people would think they are a stupid yuppie trend, 2 restaurant owners will call 311 on the trucks out of jealousy of their low fixed costs, and 1 person would be upset because they can't park their car there. I have the least sympathy for the person who wants street parking in midtown, on St. Marks on a Friday night, or in front of an NYU dorm.

No more $10 waffles? Panic in the streets!

I say OK if they also revoke the drivers' licenses of owners of private vehicles guilty of the same offense, since "...clearly the penalty [parking tickets] is not severe enough to make people obey the law."

Exactly.

They can't milk them for enough that way.

This isn't about parking spaces it is about money. It is ALWAYS about money.

Lappin's another bloombag crony aka he has her in his pocket. what was her vote on the term limits vote?

what does she know about feeding the meter? most of those trucks are not allowed on metered parking spaces.

She voted "no." She did not want to go against the will of the voters.

http://ourtownny.com/2008/10/24/lappin-voted-no-on-term-limits-amendment/

Jessica Lappin is a fake snotty bytch who laughed a Roosevelt Islander out of her office. Also Karen Kosolowitz was term out and this old lady returned to cause more havoc. Is this change??

And both of them do as Slush Fund Queen Chrisitine Quinn tells them.

These trucks are yuppie menace. I'm so sick of people clogging the sidewalks while waiting to shove over priced crap down their throats.

Also, seriously, if they're getting tickets their breaking the law to operate and if tickets aren't enough to end their abuse of the system, then there should be more meaningful consequences for them.

What are you talking about? Food Trucks are usually cheaper food alternatives than similar foods served from nearby restaurants. Also as long as they are paying off their tickets, they aren't breaking the law. You don't lose a driver license if you get three tickets in a year. They are a cash cow for the city paying parking tickets and feeding meters, not to mention they provide affordable and innovative food.

If they were not breaking the law in the first place, they would not be getting tickets.

If you read it carefully they're not complaining about the tickets, they're complaining about a draconian bill that would destroy their businesses by taking away their "business" license if they get a mere three parking tickets within a twelve month period. That would completely destroy this industry, it'll be like outlawing food trucks without actually outlawing them. There's no way you can sit in a truck 12 hours a day, 5 days a week in Midtown Manhattan and not get at least three tickets a year. Why don't we start shutting down restaurants if they get just three health code citations a year? It would inevitably create cleaner, healthier restaurants wouldn't it? But the reality is that it would shutdown the restaurant industry in NYC.

I believe that restaurants and the city might have some legitimate issues concerning these trucks but they need to find some compromises that allows them ALL to stay in business.

Grab your torches and pitchforks and head for city council.