June 22, 2011. Prepared by FPI for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, the latest issue of the BLMR looks at immigrant entrepreneurs in Brooklyn by sector. The report finds that there are nearly 14,500 Brooklyn immigrant small businesses across a range of sectors from construction to restaurants, grocery stores, child care services and doctors' offices.
June 20, 2011. An article by James Parrott, FPI's deputy director and chief economist, who writes regularly for Gotham Gazette's Economy section.
June 15, 2011. A deeper look at the data used to support the proposed cap shows that New York's real tax problem is that hundreds of thousands of low, moderate and middle income families are already paying inordinate shares of their income in property taxes on their primary residences. Only a middle-class Circuit Breaker can provide effective relief for these families in a targeted and cost-efficient manner. Analysis >> and Omnibus Consortium release >>
June 10, 2011. Massachusetts' experience with Proposition 2½ does not support the claim that a cap of the type proposed by Governor Cuomo is workable let alone desirable. If a hard cap of the lesser of 2 percent or the rate of inflation, with no overrides, had been in effect in Massachusetts since 1981-82, that state's property tax revenue would be about 60 percent less than it currently is. The Governor's proposed cap would undermine the quality of the entire array of locally funded public [...]
June 6, 2011. FPI's James A. Parrott delivered testimony detailing the following points: Against the backdrop of an outlook for a very gradual and drawn-out recovery during which unemployment and economic adversity remain elevated, the Mayor's Executive Budget proposal contains several harmful budget cuts that will curtail vital services in many critical areas. The City needs a more balanced approach to closing large budget gaps; this approach should reduce outlays on contracting out and find ways to enhance revenues. Testimony >>
May 24, 2011, Watkins Glen. FPI's Frank Mauro gave a keynote address as part of the 53rd Annual Conference of the New York State City County Management Association, May 22-25.
May 23, 2011. This one-pager makes the case that NYC should reform its Personal Income Tax (PIT) structure to add brackets to the top and to take low-income households off the income tax rolls. Four more revenue options and three cost-cutting measures are also proposed.
May 21, 2011, Rhinebeck. FPI's Frank Mauro spoke at a forum hosted by Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner.
May 12, 2011. Economists and other experts conclude study is an "inaccurate and unreliable guide for policymakers." In fact, substantial research shows that living wage policies create good jobs without hurting the economy. Press release >> Brief >>
May 11, 2011. Right now, the need for subsidized child care among low-income families is five times as great as what the city funds. The Executive Budget will cut child care funding considerably below the annual average level for 2008-2010, and further shifts $13 million in costs to low-income families in the form of co-pays. This brief details the impact on working families and child care providers - noting that single parents, whose households include 60 percent of the children in low-income families, will be [...]
May 9, 2011. A brief prepared statement from FPI's Frank Mauro, who was part of a forum on public sector pensions. The Capitol.
May 5, 2011. Among the reasons to support an expanded living wage: the rising educational attainment yet falling real wages of New York City’s low-wage workers, and a sharp rise over the past two decades in the number of working poor. The City Council will hold a hearing on May 12 on legislation to extend the city’s living wage law to cover large subsidized economic development projects. Press release and policy brief.
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April 12, 2011. A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) points out that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's budget plan would cut the SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps) by $127 billion - almost 20 percent - over the next ten years (2012-2021), $8.78 billion in New York alone. FPI has estimated the impact on New York City and each of the counties outside New York City. FPI's press release with New York data, and full report from [...]
March 30, 2011, New York. A forum sponsored by the Community Service Society of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition. Important new research findings about housing conditions experienced by immigrant New Yorkers were presented, along with a new policy brief, Housing the City of Immigrants. FPI's David Dyssegaard Kallick was a discussant, along with Chung-Wha Hong (The New York Immigration Coalition), Seema Agnani (Chhaya Community Development Corporation), and Andr's Mares Muro (Mirabel Sisters Cultural and Community Center). March 24, 2011, New Paltz. Financing [...]