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Priorities
for Action: 2007
Governor
takes action on Council
priority legislation (August
15, 2007)
- The cost of employee
health insurance
- Workers’ comp reform
- Energy costs
- New York’s state
taxes on business
- Liability insurance and
lawsuits
- Economic development
programs and incentives
- Workforce development
and training
- Innovation, science and
technology
- Consolidation of local
governments or local government
services
- And governmental debt
and public authorities
The Business Council, New
York’s statewide business
organization, surveyed almost
1,100 of its members to identify
top priorities for action
in 2007. Our members ranked the
cost of doing business as
their greatest concern in
New York. Economic
development programs,
and the reform of
government itself,
also are key concerns.
Cost of doing business. New
York is known as a high-cost
state. Business Council members
have ideas for change. Their
priorities:
- Employee health
care. With double-digit cost increases
every year, health insurance
is becoming unaffordable
for more and more employers – putting
more and more workers
in danger of losing their
coverage. We must make
the health-care system
more efficient.
- Workers’ comp
reform. New
York has high employer
costs – and Governor Spitzer and the Legislature
have embarked on cost-cutting reforms. But it's
important to finish the job.
- Energy costs. Electric
rates in New York run 70
percent above the national
average. We need more generating
capacity to bid the cost
down – and we need
to direct low-cost power
to employers and growth
industries.
- Business taxes. New
York State taxes on business
are well above the national
average. We need to push business taxes lower - not
higher.
- Liability insurance
and lawsuits. New
York’s Scaffolding
Law, which imposes absolute
liability on building
owners, is a lawsuit
generator that’s
unique in the nation – and
it’s having a major
impact on the cost of
construction. Time to
repeal it.
Economic development. Besides
addressing its cost problem,
New York also must strengthen
its competitive advantages.
- Economic development
programs and incentives. We
need smart investments
that focus on high-technology
industries and long-term
growth prospects – not
on quick headlines and
cronyism.
- Workforce development
and training. As
the economy changes,
workers need constant
upgrading of their knowledge
and skills. The myriad of government run job-training
programs must be streamlined, focused on employer
needs and the jobs of the future, and held accountable
for results.
- Innovation,
science and technology. New
York must invest in its
research universities,
improve the teaching
of math and science,
and give students better
guidance on how to qualify
for high-paying science
and technology jobs.
Governmental reform. Change
the way government does business:
- Consolidation. Consolidating
local services, or local governments, could lower
the cost of local government and cut property taxes.
- Debt. New
York needs to reform its
runaway debt practices,
which enable higher spending and ultimately lead
to higher taxes.
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