Lawsuit abuse
costs New Yorkers and their governments billions of dollars a year. There
will never be a better time to rein it in.
In 1998, The
Public Policy Institute, The Business Council's research affiliate, outlined
the case for tort reform in New York with its landmark report 'An Accident
and a Dream
With
busloads of lobbyists, reams of press releases, and endless
news conferences, countless pro-spending advocates have intensified
pressure on lawmakers to increase spending or enact other
policies that would, in turn, intensify pressure for tax increases
New
York State public schools spend more on each student than
in any other state in the nation, the latest data from the
U.S. Census Bureau show.
New
York State spent almost $11,000 per pupil in 2001, the last
year for which data are available, the Census Bureau reported
March 11
Text of a letter sent to state Legislators from Daniel B. Walsh dated March 12, 2003
RE: The noise around the Capitol—and the Real New York at work in your district
Springtime in Albany is heralded not by robins, but by charter buses- buses filled with protestors organized by one taxpayer-financed entity after another, all bent on convincing the Legislature that you simply must not and cannot cut the New York State budget
ALBANYNew York State's "balance of payments" deficit with the federal government is now $39.6 billion, and President Bush's tax plan would reduce that imbalance while boosting the state's important securities sector, Business Council President/CEO Daniel B. Walsh wrote in a letter to the New York Congressional delegation
Text of a letter sent to New York State's Congressional Delegation from Daniel B. Walsh dated March 5, 2003
DANIEL B. WALSH
Honorable Charles Schumer
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Schumer:
RE: A tax plan that will boost New York
Congress has the opportunity to enact legislation that will drive billions of dollars to New York State, provide a major boost to one of our most important industries, and create new jobs for both highly educated and lower-skilled workers in the state
The
state Senate has approved a bill that would enact a top tort-reform
priority of The Business Council: repeal of the state's "vicarious
liability" laws.
Under
vicarious liability, companies that lease cars can be held
liable for unlimited monetary damages if the cars are involved
in accidents, regardless of fault
The Republican Senate Majority has proposed mandate relief
and tort reform as key parts of a sweeping proposal to help
local governments operate better and cut costs.
"This package of budget and legislative proposals represents
real relief from frivolous lawsuits, increased pension costs,
growing Medicaid expenses and a broad range of other mandates
that are costing local governments and taxpayers billions
of dollars," Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said
Gov.
George Pataki has modified his budget to eliminate a requirement
that municipalities pay half the cost of new property tax
breaks offered in Empire Zones.
The
Business Council strongly supports this change to the Governor's
Executive Budget, which the Governor proposed in his 30-day
amendments
ALBANYNew York's businesses continue to shoulder a heavy tax burden, both in real numbers and as a percentage of all taxes paidso lawmakers should enact a state budget that holds spending to responsible levels, preserves enacted tax cuts, and avoids new taxes, Business Council President Daniel B