In total, the state's multiple levels of government burn through more than $190 billion a year from their own revenue sources, mainly taxes. Another $60 billion comes the federal government - which has its own claim on our wallets. But where does it all go? Thanks to the digital revolution, anyone with access to the Internet can begin to find some answers to that question. Read More
Local supervisors and one fiscal watchdog say Cuomo is chasing the wrong property tax cost drivers. They blame state mandates such as the Taylor Law, which gives public employee unions additional leverage when negotiating expired contracts, for driving up local taxes. At the same time, they complain, he is taking aim at special districts that, even if eliminated, would still cost taxpayers because they provide specific services for a locality’s residents. Read More
Tim Hoefer, the executive director of the Empire Center, talked to City & State about the organization's SeeThroughNY web site, which posts a wealth of financial and budgetary data online in an attempt to improve government transparency and inform New Yorkers about how their tax dollars are being spent. Read More
A few Albany City School District administrators are getting raises, but Empire Center Executive Director Tim Hoefer notes that these costs are just a drop in the bucket compared to what the district spends on teachers and their contract. Read More
New York’s estate tax will hit a growing number of middle-class households, small business owners and farmers, and is needlessly hindering economic growth while giving the state’s wealthiest households an added incentive to migrate, according to a report released today by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
The complete 2013 fiscal year New York City payroll, which includes names and salaries for more than 475,000 full- and part-time employees, is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center for Public Policy’s government spending transparency website. Read More
Payroll data for 67,050 state and local public authority employees in New York has been added to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center for Public Policy’s public spending transparency website. Read More
Gov. Cuomo today announced yet another enormous state tax subsidy for the entertainment industry — this time for Disney and Netflix to produce a live-action Internet TV series based on Marvel Comics superheroes in New York City. Read More