A Letter to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
The
Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York
State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Cuomo:
On
behalf of the National Taxpayers Union’s (NTU’s) 18,000 members in the state of
New York, I write to commend you on your proposals to cap local property taxes
and reduce state expenditures. NTU encourages you and your colleagues to keep
taking promising steps such as these away from the state’s tax-and-spend status
quo.
As you
have correctly observed, New York is now “functionally bankrupt.” In the past
decade, spending has skyrocketed by at least $35 billion, outstripping
inflation by $21 billion and personal income growth by $17 billion. New York
now faces a budget shortfall of approximately $9 billion. Additionally, the
state has the third-highest per capita tax burden and the worst business tax climate in the nation, according to the Tax
Foundation. Clearly, the problem is not that New York isn’t collecting enough
revenue; rather, state spending is far above and beyond what taxpayers can
afford.
Fortunately,
your leadership thus far indicates that you recognize this problem, and are
taking action to address it. Your proposal to cap local property taxes at 2
percent annually or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, is especially
welcome now that New York residents struggle under some of the nation’s
heaviest property tax loads. By requiring a popular vote on the local property
tax levy for school districts rather than on school budgets, allowing only one
resubmission of the levy to voters, ruling out contingency budget gimmicks, and
strictly limiting exceptions, the cap will empower New Yorkers to demand real
reductions in the education spending that drives up taxes. We are pleased to
see that the Senate acted promptly to pass this legislation and hope that the
Assembly will do the same.
Also,
your budget for Fiscal Year 2012 rightly proposes to reduce year-to-year
spending by nearly 3 percent. While we believe it is possible and necessary to
further pare back expenditures, this is a welcome change after a decade of
increases. Notably, your plan proposes reductions in Medicaid, school aid, and
the state workforce, three of the cost drivers in the budget.
For
the sake of New York’s beleaguered taxpayers, I hope that you will continue to
advocate strongly for your property tax cap and spending restraint initiatives.
NTU and its members stand ready to assist all elected officials in New York who
are seriously committed to addressing the state’s crippling tax burden and massive
overspending.
Sincerely,
John Stephenson
State Government Affairs Manager
CC: The New
York State Legislature
Letter
