If you are an entrepreneur in New York looking to blaze trails in your home state, or a business owner who has been conducting business there for years, that “Empire State of Mind” may or may not be rewarded by your governor. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan of 10 years of tax freedom to new and expanding businesses will only benefit a select few and leave other businesses holding the bill. Read More
What if you could get coverage that was nearly free after you retire? If you're a public employee in New York you can. But right now, experts warn it could be too much for taxpayers to bear. It’s an issue we’re uncovering in tonight’s New York State Exposed report. Read More
New York provides $50 million a year for venture capital initiatives and $5 million a year to promote tourism. In recent years, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has touted $220 million a year in new money for projects picked by the state’s 10 regional economic development councils. But one industry gets a larger pot of state cash: $420 million a year goes to lure film and television productions to New York. At a time when the state posts annual deficits and is trying to boost the upstate economy through tax-free zones and other incentives, New York has become a national leader in tax breaks for the film industry. Read More
The truism that money follows power remains at work in the state Senate, where Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein has reported office expenditures of $5.7 million over the past six years, according to an analysis released Tuesday. Read More
An updated searchable online database of earnings for 384,186 employees of NewYork State school districts outside New York City has been posted atwww.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Mayor Dayton King recently said he plans to propose a 2 percent property tax reduction when he presents the Common Council with his proposed 2014 city budget. The tax relief is long overdue. Read More
According to new legislative expenditure data from SeeThroughNY — a website supported by Empire Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit think tank — New York's State Legislature spent more than $102 million during a six month period ending in March 2013. Read More
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ambitious plan to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge has quietly hit financial uncertainties that could shift more of the $3.9 billion cost to motorists and taxpayers statewide, with the possibility of far higher tolls than the $14 originally predicted, according to documents and interviews... Read More