De Blasio: Bloomberg Screws Brooklyn Businesses through Fines

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that New York City business inspections and fines disproportionately hit small businesses in the outer boroughs (and Manhattan above 96th Street to a lesser degree).

De Blasio's report, "Borough Bias: How the Bloomberg Administration Drains Outer Borough Businesses," takes a look at fine-related data de Blasio secured through a lawsuit against city agencies.

Compared to the citywide average, businesses in Brooklyn are inspected by Consumer Affairs four percent more frequently. Businesses in Manhattan receive 14 percent fewer inspections than the citywide average. Brooklyn businesses pay five percent more Consumer Affairs fines on average.

Of the 10 neighborhoods with the highest rate of health violations per restaurant, six were in Queens and four were in Brooklyn.

In a release de Blasio said, "This spike in inspections, fines and violations coincides with failing city revenues as a result of the Great Recession."

“The farther you get from City Hall, the more likely your business is to get inspected and fined. That’s no way to balance a budget and it’s no way to spur hiring in the boroughs that need it most,” he said. “These fines are a $50 million hidden tax that was levied on small businesses without warning or debate. The Mayor can’t keep burdening outer borough neighborhoods with frivolous fines to balance the City’s books.”

Read the full report: http://advocate.nyc.gov/borough-bias

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