Statement on New York City Budget Agreement
Governor Hochul’s directive to the MTA to 'indefinitely pause' planned congestion pricing for New York City, and her proposed alternative revenue sources, are ill-advised tax and economic policy.
FPI on NYC FY25 Executive Budget: Real Revenue Not Aligned with City’s Pessimistic Forecasts
Under the fiscal year 2025 executive budget, inflation-adjusted state funding would fall for a third consecutive year. While State spending rose in response to Covid, it will return to its pre-Covid trend by fiscal year 2025.
FPI: Mayor’s Continued Budget Cuts Are Unwarranted and Fiscally Irresponsible
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2024 Media Contact: press@fiscalpolicy.org June Cash Receipts Continue to Stabilize Following April Volatility "Improving tax receipts and new State aid, combined with lower asylum seeker costs and the customary use of annual reserves, are more than sufficient to balance next year’s budget" ALBANY, NY | January 16, 2024 — In response to the New York City Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, Fiscal Policy Institute Director Nathan Gusdorf released [...]
Testimony on Mayor’s November Financial Plan
December 11, 2023 Submitted to the New York City Council Committee on Finance Good morning — I am Andrew Perry, Senior Policy Analyst at the Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization committed to improving public policy to better the economic and social conditions of all New Yorkers. Overview: New York City faces real fiscal strain in the current fiscal year and next year. However, projected gaps are the result of an unexpected and temporary fiscal shock – the [...]
Breaking Down the Fiscal Impact of City Aid to Migrants
In August 2023, the City updated its cost estimates for providing shelter and support to asylum seekers, adding $2.33 billion in expected City costs in the current fiscal year (FY24) and $4.1 billion in the next fiscal year (FY25). The 15% PEG announced in September 2023 would result in a $9.6 billion cut in the current fiscal year (FY24) and a $9.7 billion cut in the next fiscal year (FY25).
Low Expectations: Understanding the NYC Budget Gap
The Fiscal Policy Institute today released a new report, "Low Expectations: Understanding the NYC Budget Gap." Through an analysis of the past ten years of New York City outyear budget gaps, the report illustrates how the City uses conservative budget forecasting to protect against economic downturns, and outlines why lawmakers should not misinterpret outyear budget gaps as large impending deficits.
The Cost of New Property Tax Breaks for Local Government
Tackling New York State’s housing crisis is a central priority of the fiscal year 2024 executive budget. The budget proposes a suite of policy responses designed to create 800,000 new housing units, especially in the New York metropolitan area. Many of these measures, including required changes to local land use policy, are appropriately ambitious, given the urgency of the state’s housing shortfall.
FPI Testifies to NYS Senate on Fines and Fees
FPI's Chief Economist, Jonas Shaende, was invited to testify before the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Codes and the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Corrections. Dr. Shaende spoke in support of the proposed S.3979C (Salazar)/A.2348B (Niou), the End Predatory Court Fees Act. Testimony: Full Text
Local Governments Across New York State Must Re‐examine Fine and Fee Revenue
Many local governments across New York State ‐ particularly small town and village governments ‐ rely on fine and fee revenue as part of their annual budget, with more than 30 towns and villages having a reliance of ten percent or greater on this type of revenue. Much of it is generated through Justice Courts which have jurisdiction over vehicle and traffic violations, evictions, small claims, and certain criminal offenses. Click here to read the full report: Local Governments Across New York State Must Re‐examine [...]
New York State Fines and Fees Revenue Lacks Transparency, Obscures Economic Harms
New York State relies on fine, fee, and surcharge revenue to fund government operations- including the functions of the courts and state agencies providing criminal justice, public safety, and victim services. This funding is generated via a complex set of state statutes, including penal, vehicle and traffic, environmental conservation, judiciary, and finance laws and is spent through the General Fund and a bevy of State Special Revenue Funds. No one state government entity or agency is charged with comprehensively reporting on the imposition, collection, and [...]
Fact Sheet: State and Local Government Employment Has Been Largely Static, With Full-Time Jobs Eliminated in Critical Areas
Full-time employment in state government jobs grew by only 1 percent in New York State between 2010-2019, with the number of those employed totaling just over 236,000 in 2019. At the same time, local government employment decreased by 1 percent for full-time employees, with the number of employed totaling just over 882,000 in 2019, down from 893,000 in 2010. Full-time employment losses in both state and local government affected the areas of health, natural resources, and social and public welfare. Employment losses in health and [...]
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New York’s Share of the Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund
Read the full report: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New York’s Share of the Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes $350 billion in aid for states, territories, and tribal governments for the purpose of alleviating the fiscal stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the $350 billion, $195.3 billion is allocated for payments to states, $130.2 billion for city and county governments, $20 billion for tribal governments, and $4.5 billion for territories. These coronavirus fiscal recovery funds [...]
Heights of Privilege
June 2, 2016. The following article by James Parrott appeared in the Spring 2016 issue of The American Prospect magazine. If you want to learn about the latest manifestations of inequality in urban America, read the real-estate sections of newspapers and magazines and check out the photo spreads on luxury condos in new residential skyscrapers. The palatial size, lavish finishes, and breathtaking price tags of these properties are advertisements of our new Gilded Age. In the area immediately south of Central Park in Manhattan now known as [...]
New York State Economic and Fiscal Outlook FY 2017
February 3, 2016. In its 26th annual New York State budget briefing book, the Fiscal Policy Institute analyzes and comments on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s FY 2017 Executive Budget. The Executive Budget advances some bold and progressive proposals that well reflect the values and needs of New Yorkers. In particular, the governor has shown great leadership and vision in forcefully advocating for a first-in-the nation statewide $15 minimum wage. If enacted, the minimum wage increase would lift the incomes of 3.2 million New Yorkers who desperately [...]
Testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the FY 2017 Executive Budget – Taxes
February 2, 2016. Executive Director Ron Deutsch testified before the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees on the Governor’s FY 2017 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. Income inequality has increased in New York during the recovery with income for the 1 percent growing faster than the average income for everyone else. New York’s combined state and local tax structure is regressive and several rounds of substantial multi-year tax cuts in the past three years have done nothing, on net, to make the tax [...]