Testimony

Brief: New York State’s Continuing Tax Reform: governor’s unincorporated business income tax proposal

July 16, 2018.The State of New York continues to evaluate possible adjustments to its tax system in response to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). Governor Cuomo proposed the idea of a statewide unincorporated business income tax (UBT) in early 2018. Perhaps due to the complexity involved, the UBT did not make it into the state budget package along with the other response measures: a payroll tax workaround, decoupling of rules for itemized deductions and other state tax rules from the [...]

Shamier Settle2021-01-06T12:15:00-05:00July 20th, 2018|NYS Tax Policy, Testimony|

Testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the FY 2018 Executive Budget – Taxes

February 7, 2017. Executive Director Ron Deutsch testified before the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees on the Governor’s FY 2018 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. Income inequality, as indicated by the richest 1 percent share of total income, has grown substantially since 1980 in New York State as well as nationally. One of the most sensible tools the state has to address the growing income gap in New York is the millionaires' tax. The proposed extension of the millionaires' tax will help narrow the gap, [...]

Anthony Troia2021-01-07T12:26:48-05:00February 7th, 2017|NYS Budget, Testimony|

Testimony on the Report of the NYC Council Task Force on Economic Development Tax Expenditures

September 22, 2016. James Parrott, a member of the New York City Council's Task Force on Economic Development Tax Expenditures chaired by Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras, presented this testimony at a September 22 hearing on the Task Force report and recommendations for a rigorous, ongoing evaluation procedure. He also urged the Council to convene a hearing on the Hudson Yards property tax breaks, the costs of which are rapidly rising. PDF of Testimony

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:56:15-05:00September 22nd, 2016|Economic Trends & Policy, NYS Budget, Regional Economic Development, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Testimony: Proposed $15 Baltimore Minimum Wage

June 15, 2016. In testimony before the Baltimore City Council, James Parrott, says it would be sound public policy for the City of Baltimore to phase in a $15 an hour minimum wage. Considerable compelling and economically sound research supports the conclusion that businesses can accommodate such an increase. A higher wage floor would generate significant cost savings due to reduced turnover and there is room for modest price increases to ease the adjustment without jeopardizing overall employment levels or profitability. Businesses of all sizes [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:58:50-05:00June 15th, 2016|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Testimony|

A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service

May 12, 2016. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is under attack by forces that favor privatization and oppose sensible proposals to invest in expanding its package delivery services and in re-introducing postal banking services that exist in many countries and that were provided in the United States from 1910 to 1966. With the Postal Service’s unparalleled network of post offices in every neighborhood and village in the country, postal banking has the potential to provide affordable, consumer-friendly financial services to lower-income households and communities that [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:56:15-05:00May 12th, 2016|Economic Outlook, Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Regional Economic Development, Testimony|

FPI Testimony in US Senate on Immigration

March 16, 2016. The director of FPI's Immigration Research Initiative, David Dyssegaard Kallick, testified today before a U.S. Senate hearing on immigration, making the case that immigrants are contributing robustly to the United States economy, Written testimony is here. Video available here. In the video, the hearing starts at 21.08; Kallick's remarks are at 1:01:15, 1:17:03, and 2:04:05.

david2016-03-30T14:12:57-04:00March 16th, 2016|Immigration, Other States & National, Testimony|

Testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the FY 2017 Executive Budget – Workforce Development

February 3, 2016. James Parrott testified at a New York State Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees hearing on workforce development about the impace of a $15 an hour minimum wage.

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:58:51-05:00February 3rd, 2016|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, NYS Budget, Testimony|

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 [...]

Anthony Troia2016-12-19T10:21:55-05:00February 2nd, 2016|Local Tax & Budget Policy, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Testimony: Overall Impact of a $15 State Minimum Wage

January 7, 2016. James Parrott testified at a New York State Senate Standing Committee on Labor hearing. In his conclusion, Parrott asserts that it would be sound public policy for New York State to phase in a $15 an hour minimum wage. Considerable economically sound research supports the conclusion that the businesses can accommodate such an increase. A higher wage floor would generate significant cost savings due to reduced turnover and there is room for modest price increases to ease the adjustment without jeopardizing overall [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:58:51-05:00January 7th, 2016|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, NYS Budget, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Need for Federal Action to Address Puerto Rico’s Fiscal, Debt and Economic Crisis

September 25, 2015. James Parrott testified before the New York City Council today regarding three resolutions calling on Congress and the President to take action to address the Puerto Rican fiscal-debt-economic crisis. The resolutions deal with the issues of bankruptcy authority, Federal health care financing, and amending the Jones Act that has significantly raised shipping costs to and from Puerto Rico. Parrott’s testimony discusses the importance of Federal action given the governance constraints imposed on Puerto Rico by its status as a “territory,” and he [...]

Anthony Troia2015-10-07T13:06:59-04:00September 25th, 2015|Economic Trends & Policy, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Testimony: The Establishment of a New York City Retirement Security Board

June 23, 2015. James Parrott testified at a New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor on the establishment of a New York City Retirement Security Board. The case for a retirement security fund and program for private-sector workers can be summed up as follows: New York City’s population is aging, many private sector workers do not have employer-provided retirement coverage, and our tax system rewards those who have employer-provided retirement coverage but does relatively little to help those who don’t have such [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T15:14:17-05:00June 23rd, 2015|Creating Vibrant Communities, Economic Trends & Policy, Meeting Basic Needs, Testimony|

Comments Provided to the New York Fast Food Wage Board

June 1, 2015. FPI played an important role in the efforts to convince the New York Fast Food Wage Board in June and July 2015 to recommend a $15 wage floor for 136,000 workers in large fast-food chains. FPI materials include the following: Testimony at the Buffalo hearing of the Fast Food Wage Board, June 5, 2015 Supplemental comments to the Fast Food Wage Board, June 26, 2015 Op-ed, “Boosting the Wages of Fast-Food Workers Will Help the Economy,” in the July 20, 2015 Albany [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:58:51-05:00June 5th, 2015|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Op eds, columns and letters, Reports, briefs and presentations, Testimony|

Testimony on Increasing the Minimum Wage in the Fast-Food Industry

June 5, 2015. James Parrott presented testimony to the New York State Department of Labor Wage Board hearing on increasing the minimum wage in the fast-food industry. Fast-food is a highly profitable and fast-growing industry. Fast-food employment has risen across New York, adding significantly to the growing problem of low-wages that are far from adequate in allowing a worker to meet basic family budget needs. A significant portion of fast-food workers are trying to raise families, but more than two out of every five workers [...]

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T14:58:51-05:00June 5th, 2015|Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Testimony|

Testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2015-2016 Executive Budget – Taxes

February 9, 2015. Executive Director Ron Deutsch testified before the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees on the Governor’s 2015-2016 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal takes some positive steps forward in clearly acknowledging, for the first time in his tenure, the incredible child poverty and income inequality that exist in our generally affluent state and recognizing the need to give greater property tax relief to those who need it most rather than spreading it too thinly. However, [...]

Anthony Troia2015-02-09T15:54:07-05:00February 9th, 2015|Local Tax & Budget Policy, NYS Budget, NYS Tax Policy, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

Testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2015-2016 Executive Budget – Human Services

February 4, 2015. Submitted by Elizabeth McNichol, FPI Senior Fellow. Testimony includes: recommendations for the 2015-2016 state fiscal year; a summary and analysis of actual and proposed reductions in Human Services spending; use of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding in the 2015-2016 Executive Budget; and, the impact of decline in the purchasing power of the monthly cash assistance grant.

Anthony Troia2020-11-13T15:12:43-05:00February 4th, 2015|Creating Vibrant Communities, Economic Trends & Policy, Employment, Unemployment & Job Quality, Meeting Basic Needs, NYS Budget, Tax & Budget, Testimony|

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