The
state Department of Taxation and Finance is increasing its
focus on taxpayer service, and is making investments in staff development
and technology to make this cultural change possible, the commissioner
of the department told The Business Council recently
The state's Task Force on Independent Contractors has recommended creation
of three new panels through which business, labor and state agencies
would work to determine when a worker is an independent contractors as
opposed to an employee.
In a report to the Governor earlier this month, the task force recommended
creation of a state Commission on Independent Contractors, a labor-management
council and a certification board
The Business Council has joined a new coalition of utilities, construction
firms and energy companies that is urging lawmakers to clarify how proposed
power plant sites will be approved or rejected by the state.
The GAINS Coalition sent a memo to the legislative leaders July 21 urging
them to close a "jurisdictional gap" in a 1992 state law that was designed
to facilitate the siting of such plants
Bulletin #19: July 14, 1999
We can't leave banks and insurers out of coming tax cuts
More than 99 percent of incorporated businesses in New York will see their state tax rate decline in the coming year. The business tax reductions enacted last year, thanks primarily to the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Bruno, will cut taxes for some 500,000 employers
Bulletin #18: July 12, 1999
Our taxes are lower - but New York is still a high-tax state
It's hard to imagine that New York's 1999-2000 budget might not include another major round of tax cuts. Hard to imagine, because - despite a lot of progress in recent years - our taxes are still the highest in the country
The Business Council has resumed an intensive Web-based "electronic
advocacy" project designed
to refocus lawmakers' attention on the need for further tax reductions
this year.
The renewed "e-advocacy" campaign was begun after
budget negotiations broke down late last month
Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D-Erie) has urged Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver to ensure that "an appropriate level" of funds is set aside for
tax relief in any conference-committee discussions on the state budget.
"A fair but favorable tax code is the most key component to creating
the job-creation climate we mutually desire for our state," Schimminger
said in a letter to Silver June 30
R. Carlos Carballada, a top executive with M&T Bank and former Chancellor
of the state Board of Regents, has agreed to serve as chairman of The
Business Council's Education Committeeand
as The Council's chief advocate for higher standards in the education
system
The state
Department of Health's annual
report on managed care in New York shows that health plans are
continuing to improve the quality of care and are improving their
ability to measure plan performance.
The 1997 Quality Assurance Reporting Requirements
(QARR) report shows that statewide commercial quality rates compare
favorably with national benchmarks and statewide Medicare rates show
noticeable improvements
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
has $1 million available to co-fund projects that develop, improve or
commercialize solar products or wind technologies, or that develop manufacturing
methods for these products.
Eligible technologies include: photovoltaics and solar thermal electric
systems; components of photovoltaic and solar thermal systems; products
that involve photovoltaics; wind energy conversion devices and components;
and products that support wind energy systems and power plants