Ending the moratorium on "hydrofracking" of natural gas in upstate New York would spur over $11.4 billion in economic output, create 15,000 to 18,000 jobs in the Western New York and the Southern Tier regions, and generate $1.4 billion in state and l Read More
A broad, tight cap on local property taxes is a central element of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s agenda for making New York State more affordable and competitive. The governor’s tax cap has passed in the state Senate with strong bipartisan support. Its Read More
CoreLogic released some data last week on the number of homeowners who are "underwater" on their mortgages; that is, they owe more than their homes are worth. The good news: New York has the lowest percentage nationwide of homeowners with Read More
New York City's pension actuary is "likely" to recommend a reduction in the interest rate used to calculate tax-funded pension contributions, the New York Post (not for the first time) yesterday. A lower interest rate will lead to higher pension c Read More
Governor Cuomo today that follows exactly -- which is a disappointment, if not exactly a surprise. Certainly if Cuomo's pension program ends here, it will undermine the governor's attempts to portray himself as a reformer. Read More
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University has released its index. New York is dead last overall, and last, too, on economic and fiscal freedom. The report, by William Ruger of Texas State University and Jason Sorens at the University of Buff Read More
The Wall Street Journal r that the state's Department of Transportation (ultimately overseen by Gov. Cuomo) may be overstepping its bounds in forcing contractors to manage their workforces under union rules if they want to win construction p Read More
Directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing have unlocked vast new reserves of natural gas in the United States. Development of these resources is now well under way in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Unlike their neighbors to the south, however, New York residents are not directly benefiting from natural gas development as the result of a government-imposed moratorium, itself a response to environmental concerns surrounding hydraulic fracturing. Read More