Zapped Again

The Empire State has won another dubious distinction: New federal figures show New Yorkers pay some of the highest rates in America for their electricity.

Con Ed’s average price — 26.99 cents per kilowatthour — was more than double the national average of 12.12 cents, topping rates charged by all other major utilities. The Long Island Power Authority average, 20.65 cents, was 70.3 percent higher than the national average. National Grid, at 14.18 cents, was 16.9 percent higher.

If New Yorkers are inclined to regard this as but another tax, they’ve got good reason: 30 percent of their bill does go to taxes.

Why are these taxes so high? Because our cynical, cowardly politicians believe customers won’t realize they’re even paying them. So rather than hike more visible rates, such as for, say, personalincome taxes, they sneak higher levies into customers’ bills — and hope no one notices. This hits people who also pay some of the highest state and local taxes.

Yes, other factors also drive up electric rates. Costs here, like real estate and labor, are often higher than elsewhere. The use of natural gas (as opposed to cheaper coal) by power plants also fuels electric prices.

Gov. Cuomo’s ban on fracking doesn’t help, either. Some New York plants have to ship in gas from places like Pennsylvania, where fracking is legal, raising the price. On top of this, Cuomo wants to shut the Indian Point nuclear plant, cutting electricity supplies and driving up prices even further.

So next time that Con Ed bill arrives, think of it as a tax bill and you’ll have a better idea of who’s really zapping you.