Fern

About Fern Whyland

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So far Fern Whyland has created 102 blog entries.

EITC Helps Workers, Their Families, Communities and the State

Our state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a proven program that working New Yorkers rely on. The EITC keeps more money in workers’ pockets, providing more money to spend on essentials like food, transportation, housing, education, and child care. The EITC provides critical support for workers, their families, local economies, and the state! Before the pandemic, far too many New Yorkers were unable to earn a stable and sufficient income through work. This problem persisted despite the recent increases to our state’s minimum wage. [...]

Fern Whyland2021-03-04T16:51:38-05:00March 4th, 2021|Blog, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget|

FPI Testifies Before Join Legislative Budget Hearing on Taxes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2020 Media Contact: Communications Director, Fern Whyland: whyland@fiscalpolicy.org, 315-436-0558 Fiscal Policy Institute's Recommendations for the FY 2022 State Budget (Albany, NY) Today the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) testified before the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on taxes. FPI urges a bold vision in crafting the FY 2022 state budget, recommending progressive tax policies so that all New Yorkers can grow, prosper, and build a foundation for the future. The video replaces FPI's annual in-person budget presentation. Statement from Dr. Jonas Shaende, [...]

Fern Whyland2021-03-04T10:36:39-05:00February 24th, 2021|NYS Budget, Press Releases, Statements & Public Testimony , Tax & Budget|

Public Testimony Integral to New York’s State Budget Process

New York State’s constitution requires the governor to provide the state legislature with a yearly balanced budget proposal including the necessary appropriation bills and legislation. The Legislature reviews the proposed executive budget and offers changes or modifications and enacts the state budget. As is customary, Governor Cuomo presented his proposed Executive Budget for FY 21-22 in January which was followed by a review and analysis from both legislative houses. The Assembly Ways and Means Committee’s Review and Analysis of the 2021-22 Executive Budget is known [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-23T16:26:23-05:00February 23rd, 2021|Blog, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Statements & Public Testimony , Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Memo of Support: S.537/A.2533 (EITC)

Memorandum of Support S.537 (Kaplan)/A.2533 (Fahy) Provides for the advance payment of the earned income tax credit to qualifying employees. The Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) supports S.537/A.2533 to help create a more equitable state tax code for working New Yorkers. This legislation would update New York State’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to address the economic needs of New York State residents who work part-time and who work for low wages. Throughout the state, hundreds of thousands of workers are unable to claim the credit due to exclusions in the [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-10T20:18:39-05:00February 10th, 2021|NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget|

New York’s Pandemic State Budget: Recovering and Reimagining

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2020 Media Contact: Communications Director, Fern Whyland: whyland@fiscalpolicy.org, 315-436-0558 ***VIDEO link below*** New York's Pandemic State Budget: Recovering and Reimagining Fiscal Policy Institute's Recommendations for the FY 2022 State Budget Read the report: "Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2022: New York Recovering and Reimagining" Watch the video: Fiscal Policy Institute's Annual State Budget Presentation 2021 (Albany, NY) Today the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) released a 30-minute video highlighting its report "New York State's Pandemic Budget: Recovering and Reimagining." FPI urges a bold vision in crafting [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-09T21:20:10-05:00February 9th, 2021|Events , Must Read, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Press Releases, Reports, Briefs and Presentations, Tax & Budget|

FPI’s Presentation on the Proposed Executive Budget for FY 2022

Our state budget helps determine the future for every New Yorker. This year the stakes are exceptionally high as the pandemic continues to imperil our health and financial well-being. Will the choices we make crafting our state budget reduce inequality, or will the gap continue to widen? FPI took a look at the proposed New York State Executive Budget and offered actions to create a more just New York for all. Watch our 30-minute video overview and read the report "Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2022: New York Recovering and Reimagining" to learn more. [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-22T13:40:11-05:00February 8th, 2021|Must Read, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|

Military Coup in Myanmar Reverberates in California, Indiana, New York, and Texas

Over the past week, the military in Myanmar, the country also known as Burma, overthrew the democratically elected government and arrested the top civilian leaders. The United States state department condemned the action, saying “the military must reverse these actions immediately.” These actions are being watched closely, and in horror, by Burmese communities in the United States. To help understand what this means in Burmese communities in the United States, the Fiscal Policy Institute presents here data showing that of the 151,000 people born in [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-05T14:24:49-05:00February 5th, 2021|Blog, Immigration, New York State, Other States & National|

Concrete Gains for New Yorkers from Federal Immigration Proposal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1, 2021 Media Contact: Fern Whyland: whyland@fiscalpolicy.org, 315-436-0558 Concrete Gains for New Yorkers from Federal Immigration Proposal Removing Barriers for Immigrants Boosts Earnings and Tax Revenue Read the report: A Pathway to Citizenship: Doing Well by Doing Good (Albany, NY) A new report by the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) in conjunction with the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) shows the ways New York State would benefit if undocumented immigrants could gain work authorization and apply for citizenship, as is being proposed [...]

Fern Whyland2021-02-01T14:15:15-05:00February 1st, 2021|Immigration, New York State, Other States & National, Press Releases|

Arts Central to New York City’s Recovery

As New York looks to restart our economic engine after the pandemic, the arts and culture play a critical role, especially in New York City. Governor Cuomo underscored that connection in his State of the State and New York State budget announcements. "Cities are by definition centers of energy, entertainment, theatre, and cuisine. Without that activity and attraction, cities lose much of their appeal. What is a city without social, cultural, and creative synergies? New York City is not New York without Broadway.” The coronavirus [...]

Fern Whyland2021-01-19T12:19:29-05:00January 19th, 2021|Blog, Economic Trends & Policy, NYS Budget|

Fiscal Policy Institute Reacts to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2020 Media Contact: Fern Whyland: whyland@fiscalpolicy.org, 315-436-0558, The Fiscal Policy Institute (Albany, NY)  Today Governor Cuomo laid out his priorities at the beginning of the New York State 2021 legislative session. Statement from Jonas Shaende, Ph.D., Chief Economist "The 2021 state legislative session will be driven by the pandemic health crisis and economic hurdles. Governor Cuomo highlighted the federal government's role and responsibility to meet the full scope of COVID-19's health and fiscal challenges. That notwithstanding, our state government has a duty to meet all new Yorkers' needs, many of whom were struggling even before the pandemic. The need [...]

Fern Whyland2021-01-11T17:59:41-05:00January 11th, 2021|Press Releases|

Taxes Fuel Our Communities

You may have heard that New York is a high-tax state. But what does that really mean? If we concentrate solely on personal income taxes in 2019, California tops the list with the highest top rate of 13.3 percent. New York is in the ninth spot with its 8.82 percent. California 13.3% Hawaii 11% Oregon 9.9% Minnesota 9.85% Iowa 8.98% New Jersey 8.97% Vermont 8.95% District of Columbia 8.95% New York 8.82% Wisconsin 7.65% With New York needing to raise revenue to fund [...]

Fern Whyland2021-01-11T17:54:07-05:00January 11th, 2021|Blog, NYS Tax Policy|

Tax Revenue Keeps States Running

December 21, 2020 New York, like every other state, relies on tax revenue to provide stable funding for necessary public services. The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly damaging to the state and local governments’ budgets as the necessary mitigation measures have continued to curtail business activity, which in turn depressed tax revenues. Among the most impacted industries are hospitality, tourism, and leisure sectors that employ many low-skilled and immigrant workers. When many workers permanently lose their jobs, the impact is both local and statewide. As [...]

Fern Whyland2020-12-30T09:41:16-05:00December 20th, 2020|Blog, NYS Tax Policy|

Factsheet: Expiration of CARES Act Unemployment Benefits Will Harm New Yorkers and the Economy

Unemployment claims for the weeks ending December 5 and 12, 2020, are 23 percent higher than claims from the two prior weeks, November 21 and 28. Unemployment in New York State remains historically high, with initial claims for the week of December 12 rising by as much as 400 and 500 percent in some counties. The remaining enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) programs established under the CARES Act will expire on December 26, 2020. Over 1 million New Yorkers will lose benefits when Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) expire. These programs help workers who [...]

Fern Whyland2020-12-30T09:42:54-05:00December 18th, 2020|Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Fact Sheets|

New York State’s Tenants Need Immediate Relief

December 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated New York State’s affordable housing crisis. This year’s high unemployment has most affected our state’s minimum wage workers and gig economy workers and has intersected with our state’s lack of safe, decent, and affordable rentals, particularly for those earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). To help struggling renters and protect public health, the state legislature passed the Emergency Rent Relief Act of 2020 on May 28, 2020. It created a $100 million [...]

Fern Whyland2020-12-30T09:43:49-05:00December 18th, 2020|Blog, Housing|

Cuts to Employment in the State and Local Public Sector will Disproportionately Harm Women and Black Workers

Governor Cuomo supports reducing state spending citing revenue shortfalls that have been fueled by the economic recession that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced or eliminated state funding could mean losing public sector jobs that employ workers in communities statewide. This loss would disproportionately impact women and Black workers who constitute the majority of public sector employees. Historically, the public sector has been an essential employer for women and people of color. Public sector employment has offered a stable path into the middle class with regulated [...]

Fern Whyland2020-12-30T09:45:19-05:00December 18th, 2020|Blog, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality|

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