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Residents of the Orleans County village of Medina had the highest effective property tax rate in the Finger Lakes region, paying $58.19 per $1,000 of home value during 2014, according to the newest edition of Benchmarking NY, the Empire Center’s annual examination of local property taxes. Read More

Days after saddling New York employers with higher minimum wages and the nation's most generous paid family leave mandate, Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders announced in early April that they had formed a temporary Business Regulation Council to come up with ideas for improving the business climate. The panel's recommendations are, to virtually no one's surprise, underwhelming. Read More

The state Senate is considering a measure to force New Yorkers to buy heating oil blended with biodiesel—but it’s not the kind of environmentally friendly, “green” policy its supporters would have you believe. Read More