Blaz backs congest fee ‘carve-outs’

Mayor de Blasio carved out his position on congestion pricing Monday, telling state lawmakers he will support the program as long as there are “hardship exemptions” for certain drivers.

The mayor made his comments during his annual pilgrimage to Albany to testify before the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committees about the state budget.

“If congestion pricing is an option, please include hardship exemptions,” de Blasio said, adding that socalled “carve-outs” should be made for the poor, seniors and those seeking medical treatment. He even entertained the idea of an exemption for farmers.

Gov. Cuomo has proposed a congestion pricing plan in Manhattan to help fund the city’s beleaguered transit system, which is run by the state.

De Blasio said he still believes a millionaires’ tax is the best path to raise funds for the MTA, but added that he’s open to a multipronged approach.

“A lot of people seem to be indicating that they believe there would have to be multiple pieces,” he said following his testimony. “And the math shows it, I don’t think it can be done with only one piece, and I think it’s pretty clear in terms of dollars and cents.”

He also called for a guarantee that funds raised by the program be used for the MTA, something Cuomo said he was on board with last week.

Assemblyman Robert Carroll (D-Brooklyn) panned the mayor’s approach, calling it “disingenuous.”

“At at the end of the day, with those carve-outs, we will end up raising not nearly enough revenue,” he said.

The governor’s office said that congestion pricing details are still being worked out with the Legislature. “The pricing structure will be determined after discussions with the Legislature and once all variables are analyzed to meet the goals of the plan,” Cuomo spokesman Patrick Muncie said in a statement.