Tax Policy

November 13, 2018. This article discusses Amazon's interest to possibly split "HQ2" between Long Island City, New York and Arlington, Virginia and the Governor's incentive package with potentially million dollars of subsidies that has not been shared with the public. The author goes on to discuss that many critics, including the Fiscal Policy Institute, do not think that Amazon should get subsidies because they are unfair and that there should be increased transparency. Amazon’s search for a location for its next main office may be coming to [...]

July 26, 2018. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a report last week about how property tax caps are hampering the abilities of municipalities to fund basic services and are exacerbating inequality. The study focused on the impact of caps in Michigan, Massachusetts, Oregon and New York. In New York, more than three-quarters of cities and half of the counties reported significant fiscal stress due to the the adoption of its tax cap in 2011 and subsequent cuts in state aid. During a [...]

July 19, 2018. This articles discusses the significant tax breaks that the long-running show, Saturday Night Live, receives from New York State. New York offers the largest film tax credit program in the nation at $420 million a year. Many state officials feel that the program is very successful because it has led to an influx of shows and movies filming not only in New York City but also across the state, and that without the credit, productions would move to other states. However, critics of [...]

March 23, 2018. The expansion of the sales tax on cyberspace transactions was projected to raise $160 million for the state treasury and another $160 million for county governments, many of which split portions of their share with towns, villages and cities. The proposal, advanced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his executive budget, was blocked by Senate Republicans, who have been adamant they will not approve new taxes this year.  The Retail Council of New York State, representing brick-and-mortar stores throughout the state, is one [...]

March 13, 2018. Liberal advocacy groups on Friday called for the passage of a tax on stock transfer buybacks, hoping to get the Republican-controlled Senate on board with a move they say would generate an extra $2 billion for the state. "If you're going to use your corporate tax cut -- your 40 percent federal tax cut -- to buyback stocks and enrich your company, rather than use that money to create jobs and increase worker pay, we think you should pay a small tax [...]

February 6, 2018.  In Albany, a group of unions and progressives wants the state to increase taxes on the wealthy, even as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state leaders are warning of the consequences of new federal limits on the deductibility of New York’s high state and local taxes. Ron Deutsch, executive director of the labor-backed Fiscal Policy Institute think tank, said the money should be reinvested in education funding, building housing for the homeless and protecting against what he believes are coming cuts to [...]

February 6, 2018. A group of Assembly Democrats and progressive activists see an opportunity for New York in the wake of the new federal tax law. Assemblyman Sean Ryan of Buffalo and Ron Deutsch of the Fiscal Policy Institute join us to talk more about the proposals, and what it would take to pass them.   Access Video Here

January 22, 2018. According to this article, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been almost apoplectic about the impact of the Republican tax bill on New York. It is a “missile” aimed directly at the state, he bellowed last week while unveiling his budget. But while his bark is loud, his bite is very cautious. The big question is how the politics of the tax bill will play out as Albany seeks to close a budget deficit as large as $6 billion and adjust the state’s tax [...]