The Honorable George Pataki
Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
Dear Governor Pataki:
On behalf of the 350,000 members (including over 17,000 in New York State) of the National Taxpayers Union, I write to urge you to not include any tax increases in your budget for the coming year. And we urge you to pledge to veto any tax increases which pass the Legislature.
New York State faces many challenges and difficulties. Lack of state revenue is not among them. This year, New Yorkers had to work until April 29 just to earn enough money to pay their federal, state, and local taxes. That is the second highest tax burden in the nation.
New York's continued high taxes result in numerous problems for the state, including lower economic growth and loss of population. Economic studies have repeatedly found a relationship between higher taxes and population loss (as taxpayers and businesses "vote with their feet"). Thus, New York's tax burden likely has played some role in your population loss of recent years.
Taxpayers in New York and across America hope they can count you as an ally in the coming year.
Sincerely,
John Berthoud
President