Groups Call Upon Schumer and Gillibrand to Restore Medicaid and COBRA Health Insurance Funding
June 8, 2010. This press release from coalition partners highlights FPI's analysis of the impact on New York State and New York City of a 6-month extension of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's increased share of state Medicaid costs. The groups also call for extension of ARRA's assistance with COBRA premiums.
Property Tax Relief: How Does a Circuit Breaker Work?
April 30, 2010. The New York State Property Tax Reform Coalition explains in plain language. Also see their circuit breaker calculator based on the Galef/Little reform bill. The April 2010 issue of Land Lines, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's quarterly magazine, has a six-page article devoted to circuit breakers and how they work to relieve property tax burden, including a full page sidebar on "New York's Effort to Provide Targeted Tax Relief." Read the article - Property Tax Relief: The Case for Circuit Breakers >>
Immigrants in Work Force: Study Belies Image
April 15, 2010. Today's New York Times featured an article by Julia Preston based on FPI data together with related materials - data and interviews. Immigrants in Work Force: Study Belies Image. By Julia Preston. Immigrants and Growth graphic. After Their Arrival video and photo interviews with four men and women from across the world and the economic spectrum.
Establishing a Fair, Adequate and Economically Sensible State-Local Tax System
April 7, 2010. This policy brief from FPI reviews specific revenue raising options that would enable New York to close its budget gap while making the overall tax system fairer and minimizing damage to the economy. The brief was released as the Better Choice Budget Campaign announced a statewide TV ad campaign to raise awareness of opportunities to raise revenues in ways that minimize damage to the state's fragile economy - including closing corporate tax loopholes and asking Wall Street to help bail out Main Street. BCBC press release; watch the ad.
Raise Taxes to Balance the Budget
March 12, 2010. FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro discusses Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch's fiscal reform plan on Capitol Tonight, explaining why tax increases should be part of a balanced approach to closing New York State's projected budget gap. Video >>
The Ravitch Plan
March 11, 2010. James Parrott, FPI's Deputy Director and Chief Economist, was a guest on the Brian Lehrer Show today. He discussed Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch's plan to reform the New York State budget process and to borrow money to help solve New York State's fiscal problems. Listen >>
Revenue-raising and cost-saving options
February 22, 2010. The Fiscal Policy Institute worked with the other members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign to develop a menu of revenue-raising and cost-saving options for consideration by the Governor and Legislature as they work to adopt a balanced budget for 2010-2011. The chart of options was distributed at a press conference today at which advocates urged the governor and legislature to make "better choices" to balance the state budget - calling for more federal aid, and for Wall Street to help Main Street. FPI, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, and a diverse group of statewide organizations joined forces to explore alternatives [...]
Paterson’s “Budget of Necessity”
January 20, 2010. From New York Now's live coverage of the state budget release, a brief clip featuring Frank Mauro, the executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, and David Liebschutz, the director of strategic planning and analysis at the Center for Governmental Research. Watch >> [2:25]
Who Pays? Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States
November 18, 2009. A new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), co-released by FPI, shows that middle-income families in New York pay a higher share of their income in state and local taxes (12.0 percent) than do the state's richest families (who pay only 9.4 percent of their income in state and local taxes). Data for New York, full report, 50 states.
Advocates Decry Mid-Year Budget Cuts in Governor’s Deficit Reduction Plan
November 5, 2009. FPI, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, and a diverse group of statewide organizations joined forces to publicize the harmful impact of many of the governor's proposed cuts, and to urge the Legislature to look at less painful alternatives. Group press release >>
Property Tax Relief for New Yorkers
October 19, 2009. At a public forum hosted by Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro in Hopewell Junction, Frank Mauro of the Fiscal Policy Institute discussed the workings of New York State's current property tax system, and John Whiteley of the New York State Property Tax Reform Coalition discussed property tax relief and reform options for New York State. Watch the video >>
EPI updates Issue Guide on Minimum Wage
July 21, 2009. The Economic Policy Institute has released an updated Minimum Wage Issue Guide. Also see Key EPI publications and other minimum wage resources.
Federal Fiscal Relief Is Working as Intended: The Cases of New York and Virginia
May 26, 2009. A new study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities profiles the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in New York and Virginia. The experience of these two states suggests that the state fiscal assistance in the economic recovery legislation is having its intended effect: enabling states to balance their budgets with fewer cuts in public services that would harm residents and further slow the economy. The study is part of a special series of reports, Economic Recovery Watch.
Omnibus Consortium Works to Advance Circuit Breaker and Promote Real Property Tax Reform
April 22, 2009. The Omnibus Consortium (www.omnibustaxsolution.org) joined today with Senator Liz Krueger in support of her reform bill S.4239, calling for action by end of session. Press release >>
Groups Support Governor Paterson’s Proposal to Eliminate the STAR Rebate Checks
March 27, 2009. The Omnibus Consortium (www.omnibustaxsolution.org) held a video press conference today to urge that this flawed program be replaced with a meaningful circuit breaker. Group press release >>
Nobel Economist: Millionaires’ Tax Is Economically Preferable
January 2009. In a March 27, 2008 letter to Governor Paterson, Majority Leader Bruno and Speaker Silver, Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz makes a compelling case that the millionaires' tax is "economically preferable" to raising regressive fees or cutting state spending. Also see: Voters Support Income Tax on Those Making $250K or More to Replace Budget Cuts, a Siena Research Institute poll released January 26, 2009 Closing state deficit requires prudence, by former budget director Dall Forsythe and Shanna Rose (Albany Times Union, December 10, 2008) How Not to Deal with the Oncoming Depression: The Case of New York State, by [...]
Improving New York: Funding Public Higher Education
January 25, 2009. Peter Pollak of empirepage.com interviews David Dyssegaard Kallick.
Economists to Governor: Raise High-End Income Taxes To Help Close Budget Gaps
December 13, 2008. 120 economists from throughout New York State joined together this week to send a message to Albany: steep cuts in state spending will weaken the already struggling New York economy, and will hurt poor and middle income New Yorkers. In a letter to the governor, the economists urge him to take a balanced approach to closing the gap in the state budget between revenues and spending - an approach that includes raising taxes on high-income households.
Opinion in the Albany Times Union
The Times Union has provided a forum for opinion pieces from various sources: September 7, 2008. A taxing solution: A tax cap forces Mass. towns to think about spending, by Richard P. Tisei, leader of the Republican minority in the Massachusetts Senate, and Bay State's Proposition 2½ not without difficulties, by Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. July 20, 2008. A point/counterpoint pair of op eds on the proposed tax cap: Cap pressures government, not residents, to perform, by John J. Faso, former gubernatorial candidate, and Circuit breaker the best way to limit property tax impact, by [...]
Déjà Vu All Over Again – Budget Balancing in Bad Times
August 14, 2008. Raising Revenue Needs to be Part of the Solution. Group press release >> "The lessons to be learned from New York’s fiscal policy choices during the last two recessions are clear. The balanced approach to the state’s budget that was adopted in 2003 worked much better than the deep service cuts of the early 1990s which prolonged and deepened the effects of that recession on New York State," said Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute.
Siena New York Poll: Circuit Breaker & Gas Tax Cut Top Property Tax Cap
July 14, 2008. While New York voters strongly support both a property tax cap and a property tax "circuit breaker," which ensures that property taxes do not exceed a certain percentage of a homeowner's income, when forced to choose between the two, a majority prefer the circuit breaker, according to a new Siena (College) Research Institute poll a new Siena Research Institute poll released today. More voters would rather see New York eliminate 32 cents of state gas taxes than cap property tax increases. "New Yorkers overwhelmingly want tax relief. Property tax cap to limit increases? Yes, 69 percent. Circuit [...]