President’s budget reflects wrong priorities for New York
February 20, 2008. FPI's release showing the detailed impact of President Bush's $1.7 billion cut to New York for 2008-2009.
Will Education Funding Promises be Broken?
February 14, 2008. FPI prepared the data for this report this report from the Alliance for Quality Education - showing that the proposed cuts in foundation aid in the executive budget disproportionately hurt students from poor households. The districts outside of New York City with the highest proportion of poverty (districts in which, on average, 60 percent of students live in poverty) face 20 percent of the proposed cuts despite having only 15 percent of all students in the state. New York City students (of [...]
Setting the Context for Commission Deliberations
February 12, 2008. This presentation was prepared by Frank Mauro, executive director of FPI, for the February 12, 2008, meeting of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief. Presentation: Setting the Context for Commission Deliberations Expanded version of the presentation Excerpt from the meeting transcript (Mauro testimony)
Property Taxes in New York: A State Problem Calling for a State Solution
February 11, 2008. Why are property taxes so high in New York? State fiscal policies have created the bind. This brief looks at four reforms that would help - and could be funded in a way that makes the overall tax system fairer. In the meantime, a middle class circuit breaker would ease the pressure on the property tax much more effectively that the Middle Class STAR program. On May 22, 2008, the brief was handed out at a public meeting in New City hosted [...]
Getting bang for our buck: Economic development in New York State
February 11, 2008. Despite the billions currently spent on economic development, we have relatively little to show for it. The appropriate guiding principle is building the middle class - thus increasing the already impressive productivity of New York workers. Logical next steps include scrapping Empire Zones, reforming IDAs and more. Brief >>
Testimony on the 2008-2009 Executive Budget – Economic Development and Taxes
February 11, 2008. Testimony submitted by FPI executive director Frank Mauro to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees. Given the many signs that we are in a recession, state leaders must be especially careful about the way they close the state budget gap. Some gap-closing strategies could actually exacerbate the downturn.
Testimony on the 2008-2009 Executive Budget – Human Services
February 5, 2008. Testimony submitted by FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees. Renwick explains several important policy opportunities for New York: increase the basic welfare grant; liberalize the earned income disregard; finance the Earned Income Tax Credit from the General Fund; and take child care funding out of the Flexible Fund for Family Services (FFFS), to ensure that adequate resources go for this essential work support. Renwick includes a series of charts and tables describing TANF [...]
Archive: Property tax policy in the news
From February 2008 through June 2011, In reverse chronological order: July 10, 2011. Massachusetts has spent 30 years living with a property-tax cap. By Cara Matthews, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Also in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, the Journal News (Westchester and Rockland), and the Albany Times-Union. In Massachusetts, local governments adopt one budget that includes municipal and school spending. Voters make the decision on all overrides. Proposition 2½ is less restrictive than New York's new cap, said Frank Mauro, executive director of the labor-backed [...]
Stimulating the Economy
January 29, 2008. An article by James Parrott, FPI's deputy director and chief economist, who writes monthly for Gotham Gazette's Economy section. Article >>
The advantages of a career pathways job training program
January 24, 2008. Statement of Trudi Renwick, Senior Economist Before the Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education. Such a program would contribute to a comprehensive strengthening of New York's postsecondary education system.
What to Know Before Analyzing the State Budget
January 20, 2008. This brief provides information about the state's economy, its finances, and three policy issues (property taxes, economic development and economic security) that are sure to receive significant attention during this year's budget debates. It also touches on the federal stimulus package now being debated in Washington, and how that package may help or hurt in the balancing of the state budget.
New York State’s Economic and Budget Outlook for 2008-2009
January 15, 2008. Economic and fiscal context for the 2008-2009 Executive Budget, including an analysis of the property tax crisis and alternative property tax relief mechanisms. Briefing book >>
Testimony on economic development in New York State
December 18, 2007. Submitted by FPI's chief economist James Parrott to the New York State Division of the Budget. New York's trillion dollar economy has the potential to be a dynamic economy that rewards all New Yorkers, but challenges abound, including volatility on Wall Street. And there is little to show for the billions of dollars spent on economic development in 2007 by state and local governments. New York needs a new approach that is strategic, diverse, coordinated and accountable. Testimony >>
Testimony of Frank Mauro before the NYS Division of the Budget Public Hearing on Property Taxes
December 13, 2007. This testimony describes the special problems faced by New York localities with relatively weak tax bases compared to their needs. To a large extent, state fiscal policies have caused great pressure on property taxes in needy cities, counties and school districts, including decisions: to reduce revenue sharing; to decrease the share of local school budgets covered by state aid, to divide the non-federal share of Medicaid costs without considering ability to pay, and to allocate STAR benefits in a way that exacerbates [...]
Testimony of Frank Mauro before the NYS Assembly Standing Committee on Real Property Taxation
December 5, 2007. Using data from the American Community Survey, FPI estimates the cost, number of beneficiaries and average benefits of the circuit breaker credit, as proposed (Galef/Little A.1575/S.1053) and with several modifications. Read the testimony >>