Issues: Taxes

December 7, 2011

For Immediate Release

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) has released the following statement today in preparation for today’s extraordinary session in the New York State Legislature that will increase income tax on the rich:

“Governor Andrew Cuomo has finally seen the light! Once again, time has proven me right

Earlier this year, no one wanted to follow my lead when I insisted that we will never come out of this mess and stop hurting the poor unless we enact a Millionaires Tax and extend our rent control laws.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver today announced that they have reached a proposed three-way agreement on legislative and executive proposals to create jobs and cut taxes for middle class New Yorkers. The agreement includes support for a comprehensive New York Works Agenda that will create thousands of jobs with new investments in New York's infrastructure, passing a fair tax reform plan that achieves the first major restructuring of the tax code in decades resulting in a tax cut for 4.4 million middle class New Yorkers taxpayers, approving $50 million in additional relief for areas devastated by recent floods, and reducing the MTA payroll tax to provide relief for small businesses.

Ronkonkoma, N.Y. – The Business Council of New York State recently released their 2011 Voters’ Guide, which measures New York State legislators’ “Commitment to improving the state’s economic climate and performance by scoring their support for key business legislation during the 2011 session.” Senator Lee M. Zeldin (R, C, I- Shirley) received the Business Council’s highest score.

Senator Adams joined the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus and a coalition of elected officials and union leaders gathered on the steps of City Hall in support of extending the millionaires' tax in New York.  The millionaire's tax will increase the tax for individuals whose annual income exceeds $250,000.  With a budget gap in the billions, New York State is facing steep reductions in addition to the dramatic cuts over the last three years in education, health care and transportation.

Legislation would speed payments of money owed by Albany

State Senator Patty Ritchie today announced that she has drafted legislation to help cash-strapped counties by requiring Albany to speed up its payments for mandated services—or pay interest on the overdue amounts.

Senator Ritchie’s bill was prompted by complaints from officials in St. Lawrence and other counties that Albany was holding back millions of dollars of overdue payments to balance its own budget, forcing county governments to borrow money to pay their bills.

Buffalo -- Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R,C,I-Erie, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario) and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D,I,WF-Westchester) were joined by state and local officials from across western New York Wednesday to announce bipartisan legislation (S.5889-B) that will structurally reform the cost administration of New York State’s Medicaid system by incrementally transferring full responsibility for funding the $44 billion program to the State -- gradually eliminating the local share traditionally paid by county governments. Senator Roy McDonald (R,C,I – Saratoga) is also a primary sponsor of the Senate legislation, but was unable to join his colleagues at the press conference.