(The Center Square) — Business groups want New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to block plans by the state Thruway Authority to add a new surcharge on tolls processed through commercial accounts. 

In a letter to Hochul, the coalition of trucking and freight companies said the 1% surcharge, set to take effect in January, is a “backdoor” toll increase on the state’s trucking industry that would ultimately be passed onto consumers in the form of higher costs for goods and services. They noted the Hochul administration’s focus on improving “affordability” in the state.