While several business groups praised the tax-cutting effort, some conservative and liberal groups issued warnings about the package’s value. “How do you call this meaningful?” E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center for New York State Policy, said of the property tax savings, which he said would be worth only about $60 for average homeowners in Erie and Niagara counties. “Are they honestly saying that giving folks in Western New York $60 a year is going to boost the upstate economy? Really?” he added. Read More