Governor
George Pataki has recommend railroad property-tax relief in
his "30-day amendments" to his executive budget.
His
recommendation came a week after The Business Council's research
affiliate, The Public Policy Institute of New York State,
released a report showing that high property taxes on railroads
in New York have cost the state railroad jobs while inflating
transportation costs for manufacturers and other shippers
The
Business Council is asking its members for feedback on three
new bills that would sharply limit the freedom of corporations
and state agencies to choose consultants, accountants, and
auditors.
The
bills were introduced in the wake of the bankruptcy of Enron,
a Texas-based energy services company
New
York State ranks third among all states in adding and expanding
business facilities, according to a respected annual ranking
of the 50 states' business climates.
Site
Selection magazine cited the addition of Empire Zones,
major business investments across the state, and "a renewed
commitment to making New York a business-friendly state" in
ranking New York behind only Illinois and Kentucky in its
annual "Governor's Cup" ranking of states' economic growth
and promise
"While many
states are talking about raising taxes on businesses and workers, New York
continues to cut taxes and see powerful benefits.
"Corporations
are locating and expanding here because Governor Pataki and the Legislature
have made the Empire State a much better place in which to do business
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accepted four
more Business Council members into its National Environmental
Performance Track program.
The
National Environmental Performance Track Program recognizes
exceptional environmental performers-companies that voluntarily
go beyond compliance with regulatory requirements to attain
levels of environmental performance that benefit the environment,
people, and communities
ALBANYHeavy
property taxes on railroads in New York, with costs up to 26 times those in
neighboring states, have helped drain high-paying railroad jobs from the state
and impose higher transportation costs on manufacturers and other shippers,
a new study by The Public Policy Institute says
ALBANY, N.Y.—New
York State still faces an acute need for more electric generating capacity,
even if the recession temporarily affects demand, new analysis from The
Public Policy Institute shows.
An updated
white paper on energy by The Institute shows that New York must still
add at least a dozen new power plants with at least 9,200 megawatts of
additional electricity-generating capacity within the next five years
to avoid the risk of serious economic damage
The
Senate Majority will seek to create a $520 million biotechnology
program and to locate tax-free Empire Zones in every county
of the state as its priorities in this year's budget negotiations.
Those
are among the initiatives outlined in the Senate Finance Committee's
Staff Analysis of the SFY 2002-03 Executive Budget,
released this week by Senate Majority Leader Joseph L
ALBANYTwenty-five
New York State schools have been named 2002 recipients of The Business Council's
Pathfinder Award, which honors schools that show the most improvement from
one year to the next as measured by their students' scores on standardized
tests.
Each honored
school receives its award at a local ceremony
Governor Pataki proposed a 2002-03 budget that would hold
state-funded spending to an increase of 1.6 percent, while
going forward with $300 million in already enacted tax cuts.
Overall spending, including a projected $3.1 billion in new
federal aid, would rise 4