If January is any gauge, the 2015 battle over New York tax policy should be a doozy. It's a fight guaranteed to be filled with the kind of horsetrading that will make this winter in Albany worth watching. The flurry of activity Wednesday, the d Read More
Gov. Cuomo’s combined State of the State message and Executive Budget rollout this week showcased the governor at his best — and worst. Read More
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Wednesday called for permanent extension of statewide "cap" limits that have held school-tax increases to record lows in recent years but did not reveal how much state-aid money would go to individual districts to help compensate for the loss in local tax revenues. Read More
Governor Andrew Cuomo's combined State of the State and budget message today included a promise to make permanent the historic property tax cap enacted at his initiative in 2011. Read More
E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center, weighs in on the Governor’s tax proposal and other possible budget issues. Read More
Seniors and singles would be big winners under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's latest plan to help New Yorkers facing some of the nation's largest property tax bills. Read More
If anyone still thinks Gov. Cuomo is serious about addressing New York’s economic woes, two ideas he rolled out this week should put a quick end to that fantasy. Read More
While Cuomo called his plan a tax cut, critics said the credit would merely shift state income taxes to help defray local property taxes. "He's shifting more of the burden to the income tax rather than changing policies" that drive up spending, said E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit think tank that promotes free-market policies. "You're also encouraging more localities and school districts to increase taxes to the tax-cap limit and they can say to residents: 'Don't worry, you'll get it back.' " Read More