My friends form New Yorkers for Growth asked me to post this e-mail. I agreed because it’s interesting.
NEWS FROM THE NEW YORKERS FOR GROWTH PAC
Quinnipiac University Poll: Opposition to Fat Tax Grows; New Yorkers Still Prefer Cuts in Services to Tax Hikes; and, Voters Statewide Oppose MTA ‘Jobs Tax’
According to a poll released today by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, New Yorkers are growing increasingly unhappy with Governor Paterson’s ‘Fat Tax’ proposal for non-diet soft drinks. The survey found that New York voters oppose the measure 64-32 percent, up from 60-37 percent in December.
The poll also found that by a large margin (56-30 percent) New York voters continue to prefer ‘cuts in services’ (we at NYFG would argue that reductions in the state’s massive budget do not necessarily mean cuts in services) to tax increases.
Last week, we warned readers about the proposal to assess a Jobs Tax against employers throughout the area served by the MTA to leverage more debt. According to the Q Poll, voters statewide oppose this new tax 51-41 percent.
For more information about today’s poll, visit: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1318.xml?ReleaseID=1247.
Now Schools get a Bailout – er – ah, we Mean ‘Stimulus Package?’
We know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true: after decades of record state aid increases and property tax hikes, school districts are now poised to get their hands on some federal bailout money.
Under a plan being pushed by the teachers’ union and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, school districts would receive billions of dollars in one-time, federal ‘emergency stimulus’ funds for routine operations.
NYFG believes that emergency stimulus funds should not be used to pay for ordinary local government functions, in effect, increasing year-to-year baseline expenses. Any extra, one-shot, federal stimulus money the state is fortunate enough to receive should be used to avert some of the 88 new or increased taxes and fees included in the Governor’s budget proposal.
With our state and local per-capita spending already well above the national average, we need to be looking at ways to shrink expenses, not grow them.
Congressional Budget Office Predictions Bad News for NYS
E.J. McMahon has an interesting analysis of the most recent projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and how they will affect New York State’s budget (http://www.nyfiscalwatch.com/?p=779). The CBO expects higher unemployment and a slower recovery than Governor Paterson’s budget prepared for in the coming years, meaning revenue estimates will be less than predicted.
$PECIAL INTERE$T WATCH: Beware of Special Interests Masquerading as Advocates for Taxpayers
Be on the lookout for another special interest group purporting to be a ‘fiscal watchdog.’ Omnibus Consortium, a coalition of groups primarily tied to the teachers’ union and other big labor organizations, is pushing for a property tax scheme called a ‘circuit breaker.’ While this proposal could potentially have merit within the context of a larger plan, on its own it does nothing to slow unchecked spending or make long-term fiscal reforms.
Let’s be honest: this proposal is a decoy and its only real objective is to distract attention from the real reform proposal – a cap on local school property tax increases.
Don’t be duped as some media have been (one reporter even referred to a leading figure of the Fiscal Policy Institute – an organization long known for its support of liberal spending policies – as an “anti-property tax guru”) and always remember that ‘tax reform’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘tax relief.’
For more information about New Yorkers for Growth or to make a contribution, visit www.newyorkersforgrowth.com.
It’s really frustrating to watch the business as usual that is going on in the Republican Party. Jimmy T. got the GOP nod yesterday to be their candidate to replace Gillibrand. Not my personal choice for that seat but I wish Jimmy well. The Democrats seem to be struggling to come with a credible candidate. It’s time for all republicans to come together and back Jimmy’s candidacy for the party’s sake.
On a slightly different note, Niagara County GOP Chair Henry Wojtaszek has been making the rounds and speaking to various republican groups throughout the different counties. People close to Henry say as the State GOP’s Upstate rep, he’s trying to rebuild and unify the county GOPs from the ground up. When asked if he is looking to challenge Mondello for the chairmanship, they deny that that is his intentions, but they also did not rule it out. You can see Henry at a Rensselaer County GOP function in February. More details to come.
