Few investors are more bullish these days than public pension funds. While Americans are typically earning less than 1 percent interest on their savings accounts and watching their 401(k) balances yo-yo along with the stock market, most public pen Read More
Tax hikes, deep spending cuts or both will be needed to close Suffolk's $530 million budget gap, and even then it may take several more years to plug the hole, economists and outside experts say. The total county deficit for 2012 and 2013, accordi Read More
New York state tops the nation in one key export — people fleeing high taxes. More than 3.4 million New Yorkers — with combined annual earnings of $119 billion — pulled up stakes and left for other states from 2000 through 2009, according to Read More
According to a report released by the Empire Center for Public Policy, in 2011, Binghamton had an effective tax rate of $52.34 per 1,000 property value. That number reflects city, school and county taxes. The report shows that some communities may Read More
In the closing weeks of February 2009, Ithaca Police Chief Ed Vallely reportedly summoned Sgt. Douglas Wright to his office. Vallely needed to appoint someone to the highly-coveted position of lieutenant, and Wright was known to want the job. Wrig Read More
First comes the doom and the gloom in schools, then comes the rehiring. For years, school officials have warned staff cuts will destroy the state's public education system. And while it's true teachers and academic programs have been shed in recor Read More
One of the reasons people move from one state to another is to escape high taxes. That has been especially true of New York, according to the Tax Foundation. In fact, New York’s high taxes have driven away more people than any other state, repor Read More
If anyone wonders why Utica and other municipalities are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, consider the pension that Utica Police Department retiree Michael Bailey will be collecting for the rest of his life. Bailey, who retired May 25 after 2 Read More