E.J. McMahon of the fiscally conservative Empire Center noted that the study relied on data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, whose methodology he described as "lousy." McMahon further asserted that New York state contains multiple regional economies and differences in tax codes that make such statewide analyses inaccurate. Read More
Government watchdog E.J. McMahon, of the Empire Center, warned that the Amazon ordeal would be noticed by other firms. “The Amazon fiasco definitely sent a signal, and it’s not a good signal from multiple angles,” McMahon said. “Governor DeSantis couldn’t have picked a better time to work on poaching New York businesses, especially high earners in finance. More than a few will no doubt find it tempting to at least listen to Florida’s pitch.” Read More
According to the highly regarded Empire Center for Public Policy, the Cuomo administration, over its first eight years, wasted more than $10 billion in public funding and tax breaks on these types of economic development boondoggles. Read More
The Governor announced that the state has to deal with a 2.3-billion-dollar revenue shortfall which he blamed on the federal tax overhaul passed late in 2017. EJ McMahon, Founder and Research Director of the Empire Center for Public Policy, shared his analysis of the situation. Read More
E.J. McMahon, research director for the Empire Center for Public Policy, said the scuttling of the Amazon headquarters "highlights New York's lack of competitiveness" as it jockeys with other states to lure jobs. Read More
To restore the full deduction, E.J. McMahon, research director for the Empire Center for Public Policy, said congressional Democrats would have to line up behind tax hikes on very high earners, something that would be rejected by Republicans and the White House. Read More
E.J. McMahon, research director for the Empire Center for Public Policy, questioned the rationale for reducing the aid at a time when Cuomo wants to make the tax cap permanent. Read More
Such departures are a longstanding part of the state's history, according to a 2011 study by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, a conservative-leaning, Albany-based think tank. That report found that since 1960, New York had lost about 7.3 million residents to other states. That was partially offset by the arrival of 4.8 million immigrants, for a net decline of about 2.5 million residents. Read More