Syracuse
University Press has launched an ambitious effort to produce The Encylopedia
of New York State-the first reference work of its kind to be published
in more than 50 years.
The publishers
say their purpose is to produce an "informational Erie Canal," to
bind the state together and show the linkages among all regions and
all peoples of the state
The Business Council
has analyzed tax-related proposals in Governor Pataki's 2000-2001 Executive
Budget.
The four-page
summary was prepared by Rich Schwarz, The Council's expert in state taxation.
It analyzes proposals related to:
The alcoholic
beverage tax
New York's
infamous "death tax," a long-standing tax-cut priority of The Business
Council, expired this month.
In fact,
thanks to legislation effective February 1, New York's estate taxes are
now as low as any other state's-and less costly than those in states such
as Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio and North Carolina
Some 92 percent
of New York State's high-school seniors have passed a tough new English
Regents test they must successfully take before graduating.
"This shows
that our students can meet this challenge, and that it's unwise, unnecessary,
and unfair to them to relax or postpone the standards," said Margarita Mayo,
The Business Council's education specialist
Debate is
continuing in Albany about proposals to increase Thruway tolls and to relieve
New York's counties of a huge unfunded mandate created by the new Health
Care Reform Act (HCRA).
A proposal
from the Thruway Authority would increase tolls 1.8 percent in June, and
allow future annual increases of up to 3 percent based on a 12-month average
of construction costs in 20 U
Governor Pataki's
30-day amendments to his original Executive Budget spell out how the state's
gross receipts tax (GRT) on energy would be phased out.
His plan would
eliminate the GRT on energy for manufacturers retroactive to Jan. 1. Manufacturers
would get a refundable tax credit on their corporate income taxes equal
to what they pay in the energy GRT
Governor Pataki said Wednesday that he will unveil amendments to his Executive Budget by Jan.
31 to accelerate budget negotiations and increase the chances of an on-time budget this year.
Each year, the Governor can amend the original Executive Budget for 30 days after it is released.
The Governor said he will release his amendments before that deadline
In separate initiative,
Council agrees to survey and advise employers on privacy
Attorney General
Eliot Spitzer has proposed new restrictions on the use and sale of personal
information about consumers.
He also announced
an "enforcement agenda" focusing on companies and organizations that violate
existing privacy laws or fail to conform to their stated policies on the
use of data
The Business Council
is asking the state Health Department to investigate why no standards for
evaluating hospitals and doctors have been produced since lawmakers allocated
money for that purpose in 1996.
With Business
Council support, the Health Care Reform Act (HCRA) of 1996 included funding
to develop quality-measurement tools to help consumers and employers evaluate
hospitals and doctors
Governor Pataki's
budget proposal contains significant changes to the state's "superfund" program,
including new enforcement provisions opposed by The Council, and it would
impose over $30 million in new fees on facilities that store petroleum and
generate hazardous wastes.
Overall, the
Governor's proposal would provide about $140 million annually for state-financed
cleanups of hazardous waste and hazardous substance disposal sites