New York State residents pay some of the highest local taxes in the nation. Until now, however, New Yorkers have had no easy way to compare basic fiscal measures for the local governments that account for a large share of the taxes they pay.
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What They Make
Local government is a labor-intensive business, and employee compensation is the single biggest element of most municipal budgets. Read More
Sticker Shock: The Impact of a ‘Single-Payer’ Health Plan on New York Taxes
Proponents of “single payer” health care are pushing New Yorkers to take a multi-billion-dollar leap of faith. Read More
Benchmarking New York
New York State residents pay some of the highest local taxes in the nation. Read More
Tiering Up
New York taxpayers have been hit with enormous increases in pension costs for state and local government employees over the past 20 years. From less than $1 billion in 2000, combined annual employer contributions to the Empire State’s public pension funds escalated to nearly $10 billion by 2010, peaking at nearly $17 billion in 2015. Contributions have leveled off at roughly $16 billion in recent years—but under lenient government accounting standards, even that figure conceals the full long-term cost of generous, locked-in pension benefits for generations of retired government employees. Read More
JCOPE Fix
Governor Hochul is promising to reform the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) in the wake of negative publicity arising from its role in the controversy over former Governor Cuomo’s book deal for “American Crisis.” It’s the latest incident to put JCOPE under the spotlight in its ten-year history. Read More
Medicaid’s Metamorphosis
A new Empire Center report reveals that the New York Medicaid program now covers more individuals above the poverty line than below it. Read More
Altered State: A checklist for change in New York State
This paper describes seven core objectives and offers specific policy recommendations toward their accomplishment. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, rather a good place to start work towards an Altered State with a growing economy, a more efficient public sector and new opportunities for an engaged and informed citizenry. Read More
New York Property Tax Calculator 2020
As New York and the Nation emerge from the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic and look to the future, many property owners are deciding whether and where to relocate their business or place of residence. Read More
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