Comments on the New York City Charter Revision Commission’s preliminary recommendations on “public reporting and data access”
June 28, 2005. Testimony by FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro.
Comments on the New York City Charter Revision Commission’s preliminary recommendations on “fiscal stability”
June 27, 2005. Testimony by FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro.
Privatization without Competition equals Huge Losses
June 7, 2005. By FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro: how New York State's approach to "contracting out" wastes hundreds of millions of dollars a year without increasing service quality. Report >>
The Path Not Taken: How New York State has Increased the Tax Burden on the Middle Class and Cut Taxes for its Highest Income Taxpayers by Over $8 Billion a Year
June 4, 2005. A little bit of tax history by Fiscal Policy Institute Executive Director Frank Mauro. In 1972, New York State had a personal income tax with 14 brackets, ranging from a low of 2% to a high of 15%. Since that time the state government has significantly restructured the state personal income tax in a variety of ways. Among the changes that have been made since 1972 has been a move to something that is much closer to a flat tax. This has [...]
The Federal Income Tax Deduction for State and Local Taxes Paid
May 23, 2005. This deduction is a key element of American federalism and a protection against double taxation: Allowing taxpayers to deduct the state and local taxes that they pay in calculating their federal income tax liability is an essential part of a governmental system in which the federal and state governments have independent sovereign taxing authority. In the American federal system, when people pay state and local taxes, they have less money left over to pay federal taxes. Thus, when it comes to the [...]
Vulnerable New Yorkers Would Lose up to $4.4 Billion in Federal Funding under House Budget Plan
March 30, 2005. The Senate's plan has considerably smaller cuts in basic low-income programs. Will the Senate accede to the harsher House budget? A press release from the Fiscal Policy Institute. Contact: Trudi Renwick, 518-786-3156 New York's share of federal funding cuts in key programs that assist our state's low-income elderly residents, families with children, and people with disabilities could be as much as $4.4 billion over the next five years under the budget plan the House passed earlier this month, a new report from [...]
Fiscal Stability for New York City
March 23, 2005. Testimony presented by FPI's Deputy Director and Chief Economist James Parrott to the New York City Charter Revision Commission. This testimony deals with the Charter Commission's interest in determining if any of the expiring provisions of the New York State Financial Emergency Act for the City of New York should be incorporated into the New York City Charter.
Expenditure of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) in New York City
March 22, 2005. Testimony by FPI Deputy Director and Chief Economist James Parrott at a hearing of the City Council. This testimony deals with the discovery of the fact that Mayor Bloomberg and several of his predecessors have been spending some PILOT payment revenues without appropriations by the City Council. Related: Mayor Bloomberg's veto message explaining his June 9, 2005, veto City Council legislation requiring greater accountability in the expenditure of PILOT revenues. Testimony >>
Joint Statement in support of a Better Choice approach to balancing New York State’s 2005-2006 Budget
February 17, 2005. This joint statement was released at a press conference today at the Legislative Office Building in Albany. The organizations from throughout New York State that have endorsed the statement are listed below following the statement. Also below, a back-up document that provides additional information on the budget balancing options set forth in the statement. There's still a Better Choice! We urge the Governor and the Legislature to work together to ensure that the 2005-2006 state budget meets New Yorkers' needs. The revenues [...]
Testimony presented at the New York State Legislature’s Joint Budget Hearing on Economic Development and Taxes
February 16, 2005. Frank J. Mauro, Executive Director, Fiscal Policy Institute, presented testimony to the New York State Legislature's Joint Budget Hearing on Economic Development and Taxes before the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees. I greatly appreciate being invited to appear to you today on the subjects of economic development and taxes. SPUR. As part of his 2005-06 Executive Budget proposal, Governor Pataki has proposed a new program that he refers to variously as SPUR and Operation SPUR, with the SPUR acronym [...]
Testimony presented at the New York State Legislature’s Joint Budget Hearing on Human Services
February 7, 2005. Analysis of: the ways in which the 2005-2006 Executive Budget proposes to utilize the state's federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant; the Governor's proposal to reduce the earned income disregard for long term cases and to impose full family sanctions on families out of compliance with work requirements; the Governor's proposal to provide an enhanced earned income tax credit for noncustodial parents; ways in which the Unemployment Insurance system could be reformed; and how state and local reporting on [...]
New York City’s 2005-2006 Budget Outlook
February 2, 2005. Includes analyses of the Mayor's January 27, 2005 Financial Plan, the MTA Operating Budget and 2005-2009 Capital Program, and the fiscal implications of the Far West Side Proposal. Presentation >>
Balancing New York State’s 2005-2006 Budget in an Economically Sensible Manner
January 25, 2005. The Fiscal Policy Institute's briefing on Governor George E. Pataki's Executive Budget and alternative approaches to balancing New York State's 2005-2006 budget. See pages 16 through 24 for FPI's analysis of the economic impact of the Legislature's 2003 decisions to add two temporary top rates to the state income tax and avoid deep cuts in aid to public schools. See pages 33 through 37 for FPI's analysis of the Governor's school aid proposals for 2005-2006. Briefing book on the 2005-2006 executive budget [...]
Organizations Join Together to Tell Governor that his Vetoes Will Hurt
September 22, 2004. Diverse organizations urge the Legislature to override the vetoes and restore the budget they have already passed. Group press release Preliminary Analysis of 2004-2005 Budget, After Vetoes List of speakers TANF "SURPLUS" SFY 2004-05 Housing and Veterans Disability Advocacy Program Libraries Youth Programs Child Health Plus
Large, Profitable Corporations Not Paying Their Fair Share
September 22, 2004. Eighty-two of America's largest and most profitable corporations, including twelve New York-based corporations and many other corporations that generate a substantial portion of their profits in New York state, paid no federal income tax at all in at least one year during the first three years of the George W. Bush administration, a period when federal corporate tax collections feel to their lowest sustained level in six decades. This is one of many startling findings of a new report on corporate tax [...]