The full exemption from all taxes is a "promising new wrinkle," said E.J. McMahon of the fiscally conservative Manhattan Institute. "But the state should go much further than this." McMahon said the state should use its more generous $440 million tax subsidy for TV and movie productions to phase out all corporate taxes for new and existing companies. Read More
If Gov. Andrew Cuomo thinks taxes are so burdensome in Upstate New York, why not cut them for every business? That's the Empire Center's reaction to Cuomo's plan unveiled Wednesday that would create tax-free zones around SUNY campuses for employers and employees. "In the final analysis, highly touted 'economic development' programs built on a promise of significant tax relief ultimately beg the same question: If our taxes are such a hindrance to growth, why not reduce them for everyone?" wrote E.J. McMahon, senior fellow for the Empire Center, in a blog post. Read More
When a government watchdog as knowledgeable as Steven Greenhut, a Bloomberg View contributor, writes that California deserves to knock New York out of last place in rankings of state business climates, it’s tempting to agree. If only he had a stronger case. Read More
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that his proposal to allow up to three casinos in upstate New York will "create thousands of new jobs where they are needed most." Now comes the small print: it turns out those jobs will be controlled mainly by the state's politically powerful labor unions, whose support the governor presumably is courting for the constitutional amendment that voters will be asked to approve this fall to legalize casino gambling on a broader scale. Read More
Reimposing the full 14 percent surcharge on New York City’s resident income tax will cost New York’s battered economy 10,700 badly needed private sector jobs, according to the Manhattan Institute’s tax policy simulation model. As a result, our model indicates the revenue gain from a restored surcharge will be about $30 million less than has been projected. Read More