Just two weeks after The Business Council launched a new site on the World-Wide Web for "electronic advocacy" to urge tax cuts, some 4800 letters to key lawmakers and legislative staff have already been generated.
Business Council members and others committed to further tax reductions are urged to visit the site to join The Council's campaign for more business tax reductions.
"Within a few minutes, anyone who wants to urge Albany to cut business taxes can create letters that are tailored to the specific taxes of interest," said Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh.
At the website, users can select from 15 different tax cuts and reforms and automatically generate letters to be faxed to the sender's elected representatives, to legislative leaders, to lawmakers with relevant committee assignments, and to legislative staff.
Those sending letters can also choose to be kept up-to-date on developments in the ongoing effort to secure tax reductions and tax-code reform.
The site was developed after several months of research late last year by Business Council staff and members of its Government Affairs Council and Tax Committee.
In that process, dozens of possible tax code reforms that would further improve New York's business climate were evaluated.
Further tax reductions is a top 1999 legislative priority for The Business Council, along with health-care cost containment, tort reform, and workforce development.
Specific 1999 tax-cut goals include:
- Reducing bank and insurance tax rates to match last year's cut in corporate rates.
- Eliminating unlegislated tax increases on electric utilities.
- Cutting further the gross receipts and ton-mileage taxes.
- Eliminating the petroleum business tax.
- Accelerating the tax cuts enacted last year.