Businesses in New York paid an estimated $50.5 billion in combined state and local taxes, or 43 percent of all taxes, in fiscal 2006, a national study finds.
That tax burden represented 5.9 percent of overall economic activity, or gross state product -- a share that was significantly higher than the cost of business taxes in most large, industrialized states and more than 15 percent above the national average
Governor
Eliot Spitzer and New York's legislative leaders have announced
a landmark agreement to reform the state's workers'
compensation system that will cut employers' costs by 10
to 15 percent, with more savings to follow, and increase
benefits for injured workers
The Public Policy Institute has updated information on
workers' compensation and other selected job costs
included in its compendium of statistics, Just the Facts.
The updated data include workers' compensation information
from the National Council on Compensation Insurance
The state Senate has passed business tax reform legislation
championed by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, which
will reduce state-imposed business costs by $1.3 billion
a year when fully implemented.
The Council had urged the Senate to pass the bill in a
legislative memo filed in late January
New York State government's per-capita spending in
2005 was the fourth highest in the nation and 43 percent
above the national average, a Public Policy Institute analysis
of new Census Bureau data shows.
The new data detailed the revenue and spending of all 50
states (including certain public authorities, but not including
local governments) in 2005
A proposed change to the state's labor law would
diminish unions' incentives to negotiate with employers
and increase employers' unemployment insurance costs,
the Business Council said in a memo filed in opposition
to the proposed legislation
The Business Council strongly supports the business tax
reform plan initiated by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno,
which will reduce state-imposed business costs by $1.3 billion
a year when fully implemented, the Council said in a memo
filed in support of the legislation
Governor Spitzer's first Executive Budget calls for reducing growth in Medicaid spending, providing the largest-ever increase in school spending, and raising $600 million by closing "loopholes" in business taxes.
"This budget makes targeted investments in our future, provides overdue property tax relief to middle class homeowners and drives resources to communities in need," Governor Spitzer said
Governor Spitzer has proposed a tough new education reform
strategy that would, for the first time, tie increased
state school aid to firm standards for accountability
and for results.
“My vision for education reform is built on a
single premise,” the Governor said
The number of New Yorkers receiving taxpayer-subsized health insurance continues to grow while the number of those with employer-provided insurance continues to decline, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
“These findings are a disturbing reflection of our upstate economy and a growing burden to taxpayers statewide,” said David Klein, chief executive officer for upstate New York's largest nonprofit health plan with nearly 2 million customers