FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 2, 2018 

Media Contact

Yatziri Tovar, yatziri.tovar@maketheroadny.org, 917-771-2818

Ron Deutsch, deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org, 518-469-6769

New York, NY (August 2nd, 2018)—Today, Make the Road New York, … (read more)

July 30, 2018. For many decades, refugees were not at the center of attention in immigration debates. Refugee resettlement was viewed as a duty to the United States that we handled quietly and with pride. There were debates about how to handle border enforcement, interior enforcement, visas for farm workers, visas for high-skilled workers, and of course constant wrestling about a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Refugee resettlement, never a big share of overall immigration, was seen as a … (read more)

July 26, 2018. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a report last week about how property tax caps are hampering the abilities of municipalities to fund basic services and are exacerbating inequality. The study focused on the impact of caps in Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon and New York. In New York, more than three-quarters of cities and half of the counties reported significant fiscal stress due to the the adoption of its tax cap in 2011 and subsequent … (read more)

July 16, 2018.The State of New York continues to evaluate possible adjustments to its tax system in response to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). Governor Cuomo proposed the idea of a statewide unincorporated business income tax (UBT) in early 2018. Perhaps due to the complexity involved, the UBT did not make it into the state budget package along with the other response measures: a payroll tax workaround, decoupling of rules for itemized deductions and … (read more)

July 20, 2018. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently released a new report on property tax restrictions which concluded that state limits on property taxes should be relaxed or repealed because they make it more difficult for localities to provide services.

Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, joins Michael Leachman from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on Capital Tonight on Spectrum News in discussing how property taxes are unable to keep up … (read more)

Ranked Choice Voting: Saving Money While Improving Elections

June 28, 2018. The New York City Charter Review Commission is currently reviewing several proposals for changes to the charter. The proposal for ranked choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting, has garnered a good deal of enthusiasm around the city, but some questions have been raised about what the cost of such a system might be. The Fiscal Policy Institute examined this question, and our conclusion is that there would … (read more)

June 28, 2018. The following op-ed about the Supreme Court ruling on Janus vs. AFSCME written by FPI’s senior economist, Brent Kramer; deputy director, David Kallick; and chief economist, Jonas Shaende, was featured in the NY Daily News. 

The recent Supreme Court ruling in Janus vs. AFSCME poses a real threat to public sector unions. Traditionally, in New York — as in many other states — everyone covered by a union contract was required to pay either dues or an … (read more)

June 27, 2018.

By: Brent Kramer, David Dyssegaard Kallick, and Jonas Shaende

The Supreme Court’s ruling today about public sector unions puts a significant new barrier in front of unions around the country. Traditionally, in New York—as in many other states—everyone covered by a union contract was required to pay either dues or an “agency fee” to support the union’s work on behalf of all employees. In the Janus decision, the Supreme Court ruled that public-sector employees can’t be compelled … (read more)

June 18, 2018. The Fiscal Policy Institute joined Citizens Budget Commission, Citizens Union, Common Cause NY, and Reinvent Albany in front of the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan to call on Assembly Speaker Heastie to Allow a vote on the Database of Deals and Comptroller’s Procurement Integrity Act.

FPI’s Chief Economist, Jonas Shaende gave the following remarks during the press conference this afternoon, “The lack of transparency and proper oversight enables corruption as is evidenced by these massive criminal trials. The … (read more)

June 14, 2018. FPI’s Policy Analyst, Shamier Settle and Chief Economist, Jonas Shaende joined the Poor People’s Campaign and Rise & Resist at their rally against potential cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The House Agriculture Committee farm bill (H.R. 2) outlines cuts and discontinuation of SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) for a substantial number of low-income Americans. This proposal contains $20 billion in cuts to the SNAP program and provisions for expanded work requirements. There is little … (read more)