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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.

2012-07-11T18:03:11-04:00May 26th, 2009|Blog, Tax & Budget|
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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) [...]

2012-07-11T18:37:35-04:00January 26th, 2009|Blog, State Budget, Tax & Budget, Tax Policy|
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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.

2020-11-13T14:50:34-05:00December 13th, 2008|Blog, Economic Outlook, Economic Trends & Policy, Press Releases, State Budget, Tax & Budget, Tax Policy|
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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, [...]

2012-04-30T22:56:44-04:00September 7th, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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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.

2012-03-17T11:32:13-04:00August 14th, 2008|Blog, State Budget, Tax & Budget, Tax Policy|
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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 [...]

2012-03-06T15:15:21-05:00July 16th, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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Education policy experts weigh in on tax caps

July 14, 2008. A collection of materials from researchers and stakeholders, including the Council of School Superintendents and the PTA. It's Elementary, a monthly column by John Yinger, director of the Education Finance and Accountability Program and professor, Syracuse University's Maxwell School. See especially: Why a Property Tax Cap Is a Bad Idea for New York (June 2008) The Preliminary Report of the New York Commission on Property Tax Relief (May 2008) Reform in New York State's Education Aid Formula? (April 2008) Materials from the [...]

2012-03-06T19:57:49-05:00July 14th, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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Materials from TREND – Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess

June 23, 2008.  TREND NY Poll Says New Yorkers Prefer Circuit Breaker over Cap. The Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess conducted a random automated phone survey of more than 500 registered voters, and found that New Yorkers prefer a property tax circuit breaker to a property tax cap two to one. March 6, 2008. Presentations from Changing the Property Tax System in New York, a conference sponsored by TREND in Hyde Park. Property Tax Caps: What We Can Learn From Other States by Robert [...]

2012-03-06T21:58:33-05:00June 23rd, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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Broad-based coalition unites to oppose arbitrary property tax cap

June 10, 2008. In a joint press release, representatives of a diverse group of organizations summarized the key shortcomings of property tax caps like the proposal advanced by Gov. David Paterson. The coalition members argued that New York needs property tax relief, but that an artificial cap would harm educational programs and doom efforts to close the achievement gap. Read the release >>

2012-03-15T06:54:48-04:00June 10th, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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The economics of tax reform

May 1, 2008. Executive director Frank Mauro spoke at a meeting of the Ulster County Legislature's Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding and Tax Reform in New Paltz. News articles: Property tax burden takes center stage in speech by fiscal expert (May 3, Kingston Daily Freeman); The problem with property taxes discussed (May 2, Mid-Hudson News). Radio: Listen to MP3 (May 1, WAMC).

2012-03-15T06:59:38-04:00May 1st, 2008|Blog, City Budget, Tax & Budget|
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Over 100 Organizations Call for the Millionaires’ Tax

March 26, 2008. More than 100 organizations came together as the Better Choice Budget Campaign (of which FPI is a member) to urge leaders to listen to the public and support the millionaires' tax. Additional materials from the press conference: op ed on better choices by Ron Deutsch; Siena poll showing overwhelming public support for millionaires' tax (question 23); and fact sheet from New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness laying out short and long term solutions to burgeoning property taxes. Also, the new Tough Times radio [...]

2012-03-17T11:30:59-04:00March 26th, 2008|Blog, City Budget, State Budget, Tax & Budget, Tax Policy|
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