ALBANY— The program originally intended to reduce property taxes
has had little impact in that area, instead helping to escalate state
spending over the past decade, the Business Council's research affiliate
has concluded in a new report.
The report, What's STAR
Got To Do With It, was released this week as lawmakers met to
discuss the growing problem of property taxes in the state
ALBANY— Controlling state spending and promoting economic growth should be the main objectives in building the state's budget for the coming year, Business Council President and CEO Kenneth Adams has told lawmakers.
"We need to promote new investment in existing businesses and in the emerging industries of our innovation economy," Adams told lawmakers at a February 11 joint hearing on the budget
ALBANY— How New York's business and regional leaders can
help their communities become competitive in the emerging global economy
will be the topic of March seminar hosted by the New York State Economic
Development Council (NYSEDC) and the state office for Science Technology
and Academic Research (NYSTAR)
ALBANY— More than 500,000 New Yorkers moved to other states between
2005 and 2006, according to recently released Census Bureau data.
The data show that 513,625 New Yorkers moved out of state between 2005
and 2006. Nearly 90,000 of the outbound New Yorkers in the time period
studied headed south to Florida
Private-sector employment in New York will rise by 0.8 percent in the coming year, compared to a national pace of 1.1 percent, Governor Spitzer's Budget Division estimates. That would mean an increase of 56,000 jobs statewide this year, slightly less than the increase in 2006.
In a message accompanying the fiscal plan, Budget Director Paul Francis wrote that New York's economy "is expanding but has chronically underperformed the nation, with employment growth ranking among the worst of all states
ALBANY— Linda Sanford, a senior vice president at IBM and co-chair
of The Business Council of New York State, has been confirmed by the state
Senate as a member of the State University Board of Trustees.
Sanford, who was nominated to the Board of Trustees by Governor Eliot
Spitzer in June 2007, served as chairman of the Council from 2005 through
2006, and is and is now serving as co-chair
ALBANY— The percentage of New York workers represented by unions
rose slightly in 2007, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
The data found that the percentage of workers represented by a union
increased from 25.2 percent of New York's workforce in 2006 to 26
The Business Council is supporting efforts by a state-wide group to renew
efforts to reform the state's legal system, in an attempt to reduce
the number of unnecessary lawsuits and associated costs.
New Yorkers for Civil Justice Reform, a coalition of professional
and business organizations across the state, began its renewed
efforts by asking Governor Eliot Spitzer and the state's
legislative leaders to make tort reform a priority in 2008
The Business Council has expressed concerns about increases
in spending and in revenues from taxes and fees in Governor
Spitzer's proposed $124.3 billion budget for 2008-09.
The Governor unveiled his budget on Tuesday, saying it
would close a projected $4
ALBANY—New York's state and local governments spend more than most or all states in key categories of government
spending, impose the nation's heaviest overall tax burden, and have the highest or nearly highest taxes in several
key categories, according to newly updated data compiled by The Business Council's research affiliate