March 27, 2018. The clock is ticking to pass the budget on time. Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, and John Kaehny, Executive Director of Reinvent Albany, broke down what they want to see in the final budget proposal. Access Podcast HERE.
March 27, 2018. A measure to crack down on sexual harassment in government and the private sector appeared to remain in the 2018-19 budget package on Monday, while several other high-profile initiatives may be put aside and addressed after the April 1 deadline, according to legislative staffers and others close to the budget talks. Also staying in place is a wide-ranging plan to allow employers to increase payroll taxes they pay – which would help employees deal with the new $10,000 limit on federal deductibility [...]
Jonas J.N. Shaende, PhD, Fiscal Policy Institute March 26, 2018 Governor Cuomo released his 30-day amendments to the Executive Budget where he outlined his plan for the state’s tax system redesign in response to the tax changes at the federal level. The state legislature – both the Assembly and the Senate – reviewed the plan and supplied their respective amendments to the Executive Budget proposal. The direction taken by the governor is a good one, however, the set of solutions being discussed and the process [...]
March 26, 2018. Reinvent Albany, Citizens Budget Commission and Fiscal Policy Institute today called for the Governor and Legislature to pass a “Database of Deals” in this year’s budget. Both houses’ budget bills included a “Database of Deals” (Part KK in A.9508-B and Part LLLL in S.7508-B ) that are very similar and largely track existing legislation introduced by Assembly member Robin Schimminger and Senator Thomas Croci (A.8175 and S.6613-B). A “Database of Deals” will list all state economic development benefits, including grants, loans or [...]
March 23, 2018. The expansion of the sales tax on cyberspace transactions was projected to raise $160 million for the state treasury and another $160 million for county governments, many of which split portions of their share with towns, villages and cities. The proposal, advanced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his executive budget, was blocked by Senate Republicans, who have been adamant they will not approve new taxes this year. The Retail Council of New York State, representing brick-and-mortar stores throughout the state, is one [...]
March 20, 2018. On March 9th a protest was held on Wall Street demanding that corporations either pay their workers or pay their fair share of taxes. FPI joined the rally, where ordinary tax payers, elected officials, community organizations and labor unions called for a 0.5% New York State tax on stock buyback trades, which would mean corporations using their federal tax cuts simply to benefit their shareholders would have to pay a small New York State tax on the buyback. The tax is estimated [...]
“What Wealth Inequality Looks Like in Our Community,” an interactive program, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at Caffé Lena, Phila Street, Saratoga Springs. Please join the Fiscal Policy Institute's Ron Deutsch and others in discussing issues like food insecurity, poverty, and the impact of the federal administration's changes on New York.
March 14, 2018. The Fiscal Policy Instituted participated in a press event with the Strong Nonprofits for a Better New York coalition yesterday morning in the Capitol. The coalition represents more than 350 nonprofits organizations across New York seeking to adequately fund a higher minimum wage and cost-of-living pay adjustments for the state's contracted human services employees. The press event revolved around the inaugural induction of 38 female human service sector workers into its "Human Services Hall of Fame" as well as pushing legislators and Gov. [...]
March 13, 2018. Activists are pushing for legislative action to bring more transparency to the subsidies that the State gives to businesses. We heard more on the push from Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, and John Kaehny, Executive Director of Reinvent Albany. Access to Podcast HERE.
March 13, 2018. Liberal advocacy groups on Friday called for the passage of a tax on stock transfer buybacks, hoping to get the Republican-controlled Senate on board with a move they say would generate an extra $2 billion for the state. "If you're going to use your corporate tax cut -- your 40 percent federal tax cut -- to buyback stocks and enrich your company, rather than use that money to create jobs and increase worker pay, we think you should pay a small tax [...]
March 6, 2018. On March 3, at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Woodhaven, a panel discussion that Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez hosted included Pelosi, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressman Joe Crowley, Charles Khan from the Strong Economy for All Coalition, Jonas Shaende from the Fiscal Policy Institute, and Tracey Kavanagh, a registered nurse who serves on the board of directors of the New York State Nurses Association. The tax bill signed into law on Dec. 22, 2017, leads to automatic federal funding cuts of $400 [...]
February 26, 2018. In this article the author, Clarence Hightower, argues that immigrants are who made America what it is today. He discusses the present contributions of immigrants to the U.S. by citing research, including FPI’s, which shows that immigrants are highly educated, very likely to be business owners, are homeowners, and their children are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. He goes on to draw attention to the demonizing actions and rhetoric from the federal administration surrounding the decisions to [...]
February 23, 2018. In this op-ed the author, Sandy Mcpherson Carrubba Geary, discusses her view on immigration, which is that America should live up to its poem that is engraved on the Statue of Liberty and to continue to allow refugees and immigrants migrate to the United States. She goes on to discuss how her family sponsored a Vietnamese family who spent time in a refugee camp and that they became very successful in the U.S. Geary explains that their family moved to Texas and [...]
On Wednesday morning, February 28, 2018, the Fiscal Policy Institute will present its 28th annual budget briefing, co-sponsored by the Community Service Society, 633 Third Avenue - the forum will be held on the 16th floor in the Retro Report conference room. Light refreshments and check-in will begin at 9:00 a.m. Our presentation begins at 9:20 a.m. and ends at 10:30 a.m. We hope that you and/or your colleagues will be able to join us for what we are confident will be a useful and informative session. The briefing [...]
February 16, 2018. The beginning of the Trump administration initiated a tremendous wave of attacks on government poverty alleviation programs and services like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). New York State has the highest income equality of all the fifty states with over 2.8 million people living in poverty. These programs and services provide immense relief for lower-income, working families and lift millions of children out of poverty. The Congressional District Fact Sheets (CDFS) contain information about the importance of poverty alleviation and [...]