Smaller businesses in New York seem confident that problems making computer
systems year 2000-compliant will be minor, an informal survey of Business Council
members shows.
However, respondents showed less confidence in the ability of their suppliers
and distributors to meet the challenge.
The Council published a brief survey in the September 4 issue of The Wire
and asked members to fax responses
New York State's tax cuts just keep going and going.
First steps in two major tax reductions-elimination of the state's added estate
tax and reduction of the gross receipts tax on utility bills-took effect Oct.
1. Both cuts were top priorities for The Business Council, which lobbied successfully
for their adoption
By Lewis Golub
I'm excited about The Business Council's prospects for the next 12 months.
We really are poised to do even more to improve New York's hospitality to
business. But in the year ahead, we'll face new challenges. Our potential for
progress is at least matched by the danger of setbacks
The Business Council's Board
of Directors has
approved a 1999 legislative agenda that will focus on these priorities: further
tax cuts, tort reform, health-care cost containment, and improved workforce
development.
The Board also designated the campaign for reform of government mandates as
the top priority for The Council's research affiliate, The
Public Policy Institute
Robert Snashall, chairman of the New York State Workers' Compensation Board,
will speak at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at a meeting of The Council's Workers'
Compensation Committee.
Snashall will discuss the state of workers' comp in New York State. The meeting
should include some opportunity for discussion of The Council's priorities
for expanded workers' comp reform, said Stacey Hengsterman, The Council's workers'
comp specialist
ALBANY Local business groups and government leaders throughout New
York State are joining forces to tackle a prime cause of high local taxes state
mandates.
More than 50 local government officials and 29 chambers of commerce from around the state
have formed the Coalition for Mandate Reform, The Business Council of New York State, Inc
New York has made great strides in improving its business climate in the
last four years-but can and will do even more, Gov. George Pataki said at The
Business Council's Annual Meeting.
"It [New York's economic comeback] is not done-it's never done," the Governor
said Sept. 16. "Every day, we have to be more effective and competitive as
a state
The Business Council is sponsoring a "Lobbying, Elections, Pollsters, and
PAC Conference" Tuesday, Oct. 6, at The Century House Inn & Conference Center
in Latham. The conference will cover the coming elections, the main candidates
for office, their positions on key business-related issues, and legislative
and regulatory issues related to lobbying and political action committees
The Business Council Service Corporation has joined with Eye Care Plan of
America (ECPA) to enable Business Council members to offer employees ECPA Access,
a vision care benefit program which brings substantial savings for eyewear
purchases.
ECPA's Access Program is a preferred pricing program with average savings
of 40 percent, with higher savings on frames and lenses
ALBANY New York State is gaining on the rest of the country in the
race for new business and job growth, but must become still more competitive
to close the gap completely, a new report by The
Public Policy Institute says.
After finishing 47th among the states for private-sector job growth from 1992
through 1994, New York ranked 28th for the year ending in June 1998, according
to U