This week the Tax Foundation released its “State Business Tax Climate Index Rankings”. This index is meant as an indicator of which states, due to their tax systems, are most hospitable to businesses and thus to economic growth. In case you were wondering, New York came in 49th. That’s 49th out of all 50 states.
Is [...]
As you are all aware, our State and nation are enduring difficult financial times. The state’s manufcaturing sector is certainly no different in this case. With that, I felt it necessary to respond last week to an OpEd in the Syracuse Post Standard addressing the future of the state’s manufcaturing sector, citing the [...]
We spend a lot of time talking about mandate relief. Probably more than we should. But mandates are just so…costly that we are compelled to cover them.
So what is a mandate? A mandate is a law or regulation passed by the legislature that often must be implemented by local agencies with no funding from the [...]
Ok, I get it that some rank and file members of the New York State Legislature don’t want to talk about the “controversial” issues for fear of drawing the ire of the long entrenched “we like the status quo” groups that walk the halls of the Capital. But to quote Cris Carter, an ESPN reporter [...]
In his budget address, Gov. Cuomo noted that the single most important question of government is how to spur private sector job creation while maintaining fiscal discipline. A daunting task for certain, but there are some ways that this can be done.
There is an economic development tool available to New York that fits seemingly well [...]
So, not everyone is happy with the governor’s 2012 budget proposal. We’re quite pleased (read Unshackle Upstate’s response) but others, like PEF (Public Employees Federation), and CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association are a little less thrilled. Both groups are radically upset about the proposed pension reform.
Governor Cuomo’s State of the State a few weeks ago and his Budget Address yesterday certainly makes it appear as though he is willing to dig in his heels and control the costs of taxpayer- funded things like public pensions, Medicaid, etc. Controlling the rate at which the costs of those programs increase is most [...]
The Triborough is an important place to start with mandate relief, but it is not a solution by itself. As the governor mentioned in his State of the State address, pension reform is key in 2012. Creating a Tier VI Defined Contribution Plan would save the state and taxpayers dollars. But mandate relief goes far beyond teachers and unions. We need to spur job creation as well as make our communities more affordable. In Unshackle Upstate’s 2012 agenda, released today, we focus on the importance of small changes that can have a big impact.
The DEC is ready to close a chapter in the debate on high-volume hydraulic fracturing today with the expiration of the public comment period. It is estimated that more than 18,000 comments from both sides of the debate have been submitted, with that number likely higher, given the final surge of comments submitted between yesterday and today.
Wednesday Governor Cuomo gave his second State of the State address. We can all agree we want New York to succeed. Last year the legislature successfully passed the 2% tax cap and new tax reforms. This year the Governor hopes to balance the budget, reform public pensions, and promote economic development, including a second round of regional economic development awards.
