ALBANY— “The Business Council of New York State agrees with Gov. David Paterson that New York needs a property tax cap and mandate relief for local schools,” said Kenneth Adams, president & CEO of The Business Council of New York State.
“To make New York's economy competitive again we need to reduce the cost of living and doing business here,” added Adams. “The package of mandate relief and a property tax cap recommended by the Commission on Local Property Tax Relief is the right formula to lower costs and taxes.”
To enable school districts to contain and reduce expenses – without those costs being shifted elsewhere, real mandate relief must accompany a property tax cap. Mandate relief in the form of increased health insurance premium contributions by employees; repealing of the Wicks Law; centralized school district reporting; no new legislative or regulatory mandates without a complete fiscal impact analysis and identified funding source – are all steps which can be taken in the near term which will not impact the quality of education provided to our state's students, but will provide relief to the beleaguered property tax payer. The Business Council supports these reforms.
“Property tax relief is a key component of the overall fiscal reform that New York needs to emerge from this current fiscal crisis with a stronger and more competitive economy,” said Adams.
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