Perhaps E.J. McMahon, who heads the watchdog group the Empire Center for Public Policy, best describes the current situation as SolarCity, the leading solar panel seller in the U.S., prepares to merge with Tesla, the electric car-maker. He has called it “egregious corporate welfare.” Read More
"It definitely means we are going to be paying more," says Ken Girardin of the Empire Center. The Empire Center just released a study about the state's New Clean Energy Standard and what it means for New Yorkers. Read More
State budget expert E.J. McMahon with the Empire Center for Public Policy says the report wasn't incorrect in pointing out the issue of high fees. Read More
New York’s local property tax cap has become an issue in a hotly contested Hudson Valley congressional race, where a specious anti-cap argument rejected by state courts has been revived by the Democratic candidate, Zephyr Teachout. Read More
With New York's already high tax burden, the exempt properties can be a "bigger concern" here than in other states, said Kenneth Girardin, a policy analyst for the Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank. Read More
The state of New York is home to 5.7 million parcels of property worth an estimated $2.8 trillion — with a ‘t.’ But when property-tax bills go out each year, nearly a third of that value — about $866 billion — never gets billed. Ov Read More
While details remained sparse, the Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank that follows state spending, calculated that the raises would cost about $445 million over the life of the deal. Read More
Mayor Justin Grigg — an assistant dean at his community’s other college, the private Alfred University — calls his village’s taxes “silly high.” At nearly $17 per $1,000 of assessed value, the 2015 tax rate was the highest in the western portion of the state, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy. That works out to about $1,700 for the owner of a $100,000 home. Read More