Tax & Budget

Congestion Pricing “vs.” Millionaire’s Tax: Why Not Do Both?

October 30, 2017. Here’s a story you don’t hear every day: in the latest spat between Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor De Blasio, both of them are right. Congestion pricing, the governor’s proposal, and a surcharge to the millionaire’s tax, the mayor’s proposal, are both good ideas. The not-so-secret feuding between the governor and the mayor has not served New Yorkers well. From the serious to the petty, the two Democrats don’t seem to be able to get along about much. But, in [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:38-05:00October 30th, 2017|Blog, Tax Policy|

Tenney’s Vote for GOP Budget Draws Protest

October 16, 2017. Last week, a group of advocates and community organizers spoke out against the passage of the Republican House Budget Resolution in front of Congresswomen Claudia Tenney's office in New Harford. Congresswoman Tenney voted in support of the Republican House Budget Resolution, which aims to slash government safety-net programs like Medicaid and SNAP. With cuts to entitlements in excess of over $1 trillion over a ten year period, it is likely that New York will face large holes in the state budget. Ron Deutsch, [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:38-05:00October 16th, 2017|FPI in the News, State Budget|

More Than 100 New York Nonprofits Call on NYS Legislators to Reject Proposed Federal Budget Cuts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 8, 2017 Media Contact: Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, FPI 518-469-6769 MORE THAN 100 NEW YORK NONPROFITS CALL ON NYS LEGISLATORS TO REJECT PROPOSED FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS Coalition Highlights Devastating Impact of Cuts on New York Families Read the Letter Here More than 100 nonprofit human services organizations from across the state are calling on legislators to reject proposed federal cuts to social services programs. Organizations from Buffalo to Binghamton to Brooklyn signed on to letters that were sent to New York’s Congressional [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:39-05:00September 8th, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax & Budget|

Advocates Look to Expose “Truth” of Poverty

July 27, 2016. New York is the wealthiest state in the entire nation but many of its residents are struggling with meeting basic needs like housing, food, and child care. A group of advocates led by the Labor-Religion Coalition (and including the Fiscal Policy Institute) across the state are coming together at truth commissions to expose the “truth” of poverty. Truth commissions are tasked with discovering and revealing past and present wrongdoing in the hope of resolving the conflict or issue. More than 3 million [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:40-05:00July 27th, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax Policy|

Trump Budget Would Shift Huge SNAP Costs to New York and Put New Yorkers at Risk of Going Hungry

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2017 Media Contact: Ron Deutsch (FPI) 518-469-6769 Sherry Tomasky (Hunger Solutions) 518-414-2570 Trump Budget Would Shift Huge SNAP Costs to New York and Put New Yorkers at Risk of Going Hungry Albany, NEW YORK – President Trump’s budget proposal would shift a significant share of the cost of the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program’s (SNAP, previously known as Food Stamps) benefits to states and, for the first time, allow states to cut SNAP benefits, seriously threatening SNAP’s extraordinary [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:42-05:00June 13th, 2017|Press Releases, Tax Policy|

Being Poor: Meet ALICE the Working Poor

May 22, 2017. FPI's Ron Deutsch joins Reg Foster, President and CEO of the United Way of New York State, Sharon F. Owens of Syracuse Community Connections and Stephanie Hoopes Halpin, PhD National Director of United Way ALICE Project on a WPBS special to discuss why the employed can be considered impoverished and what can be done to help these families. Ron argues that there are millions of New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet and that the federal poverty level is an antiquated measure [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:42-05:00May 22nd, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax Policy|

Two Tax Code Changes That Could Greatly Benefit Working New Yorkers

Editorial By Ron Deutsch and Reg Foster for New York Nonprofit Media April 14, 2017 We may see this year, among other surprises from Washington, the first effort in many years to make significant revisions to the tax code. In the last presidential election, all sides expressed concern for the conditions of working Americans who are facing retreating opportunities and wages. We hope for a resurgent economy, but for now, revamping the tax code offers an opportunity to actually help New Yorkers in a way that [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:43-05:00April 21st, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax Policy|

Report: New York Gives Corporations More In Tax Breaks Than Any Other State

by Nathan Tempey April 10, 2017 New York's business tax incentives, a cornerstone of Governor Cuomo's two terms in office, are the most expensive and among the least effective of any in the country, according to a recent study by an economist. …Developers who so happen to be Cuomo donors and recipients of tax breaks and copious state money for similar signature economic development projects are also at the center of federal criminal cases against two former aides to the governor and his handpicked nano-technology [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:44-05:00April 11th, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax Policy|

FPI Releases 2017-2018 Budget Statement

For immediate release: April 11, 2017 Contact: Ron Deutsch, Executive Director 518-786-3156 (o), 518-469-6769 (c), deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org David Dyssegaard Kallick, Senior Fellow, Director, Immigration Research Initiative 212-721-7164 (o), 646-284-1240 (c), ddkallick@fiscalpolicy.org FPI Statement on 2017-18 Enacted State Budget There’s no question the newly-minted state budget contains some important public policy issues that should be lauded. However, given the governor’s very vocal concerns about funding threats from Washington, we sadly missed an opportunity to be proactive in protecting New York from potential federal budget cuts, and to [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:44-05:00April 11th, 2017|Blog, State Budget|

Over 80 Upper-Income New Yorkers Urge Governor Cuomo and Legislature to Extend and Expand the Millionaires’ Tax

March 21, 2017. The Fiscal Policy Institute and Responsible Wealth released a letter signed by over 80 wealthy New Yorkers urging Governor Cuomo to extend and expand the millionaires' tax, currently in place but set to expire at the end of this year. Signers include Eileen Fisher, Abigail Disney, Steven C. Rockefeller, George Soros, David A. Levine, Dal LaMagna, Lewis B. Cullman, among other notable names. All signers, many members of the Responsible Wealth project, are residents of New York State with annual incomes of $650,000 or [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:45-05:00March 24th, 2017|Blog, Tax Policy|

FPI Policy Brief Press Statement: Time to Expand the Millionaires’ Tax

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Ron Deutsch, Fiscal Policy Institute, 518-469-6769, deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org March 7, 2017. The Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) recently released a Policy Brief analyzing New York’s gross income disparity, recommending common sense solutions to narrowing the gap. Since the 1980s, the income gap in the United States—as indicated by the wealthiest 1 percent’s share of total income—has grown significantly. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has been compiling income data since 1979, and has found that the top 1 percent’s income has grown [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:45-05:00March 23rd, 2017|Press Releases, Tax Policy|

AP News: Rich New Yorkers Ask State to Raise Their Taxes

March 21, 2017 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Some of the wealthiest New Yorkers are asking the state to raise their taxes. Eighty people including George Soros, Steven Rockefeller and Abigail Disney wrote to lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying they and other top earners can afford to pay more to support schools, roads, bridges and programs to help poor and homeless New Yorkers. (read more)

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:46-05:00March 21st, 2017|FPI in the News, Tax Policy|

Press Release: Over 80 Wealthy New Yorkers Urge Governor Cuomo to Extend and Expand Millionaires’ Tax

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2017 Contact: Ron Deutsch, Fiscal Policy Institute, 518-469-6769, deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org Mike Leyba, Responsible Wealth, 562-266-4357, mleyba@faireconomy.org Over 80 Upper-Income New Yorkers Urge Governor Cuomo and Legislature to Extend and Expand the Millionaires’ Tax As New York State braces for proposed federal budget cuts that could have a devastating impact on health care, education and infrastructure investments across the state, more than 80 New York residents with incomes in the top 1% have sent an open letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:46-05:00March 21st, 2017|Press Releases, Tax Policy|

March 2017 NYC Budget Presentation

In his briefing on Mayor deBlasio’s Preliminary FY 2018 NYC Budget, James Parrott highlights the following: Cautious in face of an uncertain Washington: Federal aid is 1/3 of State budget (which is 18% of City budget); 8-10 % of City budget; 64% of NYCHA budget; and nearly half of the Health and Hospitals budget. State budget better this year, but still challenges: Governor proposed to extend millionaires tax, but it should be enhanced; threat to CFE-settlement determined school aid; handful of negative budget impacts for NYC. Before Trump’s [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:56-05:00March 16th, 2017|Blog, State Budget|

2017 Budget Forum, Elmira, NY

March 8, 2017 - Fiscal Policy Institute Holds Information Session ELMIRA, N.Y. (18 NEWS) - The Fiscal Policy Institute, a group affiliated with the labor movement offered an information session on the state budget at Catholic Charities in Downtown Elmira on Wednesday. One major issue discussed was the millionaires' tax, which is set to expire at the end of this year. State legislators can let it expire, extend it as is, or expand it. The Fiscal Policy Institute claims expanding the millionaires' tax would largely [...]

Fiscal Policy Institute2024-12-18T12:26:57-05:00March 9th, 2017|Blog, State Budget|