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Letter
Economic Development
CBC Encourages Governor Cuomo to Veto New Tax Credits for Music and Digital Gaming Media Production
November 17, 2016
This bill would create new tax credits for music production and digital gaming media production, with both credits costing $25 million annually for the next three years. The total cost is estimated to be $150 million.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Encourages Governor Cuomo to Veto Ten Benefit Enhancement Bills
August 08, 2016
A letter to the governor recommending the veto of 10 bills passed by the legislature that are expensive enhancements to government employee and retiree benefits.
Op Ed
City Budget
The “20-20-20-20” Dilemma
The Need to Curtail New York City’s Legacy Costs
August 03, 2016
A giant and rapidly growing slice of the New York City budget pays for "legacy costs" - pensions, retiree health benefits, and debt service - which already exceed 20 percent of the budget and will expand by 20 percent to more than $20 billion in annual spending by fiscal year 2020. But the City can take steps to deal with it.
Op Ed
City Budget
The Rapidly Rising Cost of City Workers
New York City Employees Get $138,000 in Pay and Benefits, and Rising
June 09, 2016
The mayor and City Council quickly came to an agreement on the details of an adopted budget for fiscal year 2017, but little attention has been paid to spending projected over the course of the five-year financial plan. We ought to focus, and hold onto our wallets.
Op Ed
City Budget
Make NYC’s Retiree Health Benefit Trust More Trustworthy
May 25, 2016
The City of New York has a $70 billion liability for retiree health insurance costs and other post-employment benefits (OPEB), not including pensions. These benefits are contractually owed to retired city employees and are largely unfunded.
Testimony
Pensions & Benefits
Testimony on Health Care Savings Under Recent Collective Bargaining Agreements
Delivered to NYC Council Committees on Finance and Civil Service
February 26, 2016
CBC has been monitoring New York City's efforts to find health savings. CBC has long advocated negotiating changes to health insurance as part of collective bargaining and applauded the labor-management agreement that committed to meet annual savings targets.
Letter
State Budget
Recommendations on the FY 2017 Executive Budget
February 25, 2016
CBC offers recommendations for legislative action on the Governor’s Executive Budget for fiscal year 2017. The recommendations cover four proposals that deserve support, five proposals that should be modified, and four proposals that should be rejected.
Testimony
Taxes
Testimony on Flaws in New York City's Real Property Taxation System
Submitted to the NYS Assembly Committee on Real Property Taxation
January 22, 2016
The two most significant issues are: 1) among residential properties, rental buildings are taxed more heavily than single family homes, and 2) within the two subgroups of residential properties—small homes and large rental buildings—property tax rates vary widely.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
NYC's Gold-Plated Worker Perks
December 20, 2009
CBC President Carol Kellermann discusses a new survey from the CBC and the Partnership for New York City that reveals that municipal employee pension and health-insurance benefits are out of balance with the job market.
Testimony
State Budget
Testimony on Improving the State Budgetary Process
Delivered to the Select Committee on Budget and Tax Reform
December 17, 2009
In this testimony the CBC assesses the effectiveness of provisions in the New York State Budget Reform Act of 2007 and makes additional recommendations for improving transparency, forecasting, and flexibility.
Op Ed
State Budget
Bolster Budget
Pare Spending, Reform Pensions, Protect MTA
July 26, 2009
This op-ed was the CBC's contribution to a series of short op-ed's submitted by advocates around the state to Crain's New York Business. Here the CBC strikes at the core issues that severely impact the State's budget.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Commends Legislators Who Voted Against Postponing Pension Contributions
July 14, 2009
CBC commends legislators for voting against A9037/S52204, a bill that would have allowed state and local governments to postpone paying the full required annual contributions to their employee pension funds.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Encourages Legislatures to Avoid Pension Sweetener Legislation
June 02, 2009
This letter notifies the Legislature that the CBC has issued a "Pension Sweetener Scorecard" that tracks legislative and gubernatorial actions regarding pension benefits and highlights those actions for the media and the public. These sweeteners are often enacted over the objections of elected heads of local governments and always at the expense of taxpayers.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Urges the Governor to Veto a Benefit Sweetener for Police and Firefighters
May 29, 2009
This letter from the CBC urges the Governor to veto A3426/S1409, a bill that would extend Tier II provisions to all police officers and firefighters who join a public retirement system on or after July 1, 2009 to July 1, 2011.
Letter
Pensions & Benefits
CBC Urges Governor Paterson to Veto Costly Mandate for Retired Teachers
May 12, 2009
This letter from the CBC urges the Governor to veto A4628, a bill that would renew the provision that prohibits school districts from reducing the health insurance benefits offered to retirees unless the changes are approved by the local teachers union.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
Pension Poison Pills
April 06, 2009
This op-ed, released in conjunction with the report “The Explosion in Pension Costs: 10 Things New Yorkers Should Know About Retirement Benefits for New York City Employees,” highlights facts that taxpayers should know about the cost of retirement benefits for New York City employees.
Testimony
Taxes
Testimony on NY State Tax System
Delivered to the Senate Committee on Budget and Tax Reform
March 12, 2009
This testimony emphasizes two key points about New York’s personal income tax (PIT) and offers a framework for thinking about tax reform in the current fiscal context: 1) New York’s PIT is progressive, but its overall tax structure is not; and 2) New York’s economic competitiveness should be an important factor in considering changes to its tax rates.
Letter
State Budget
10 Do's and Don'ts for Spending the Federal Stimulus Funds
February 25, 2009
This letter to the Legislature warns that the federal aid to New York is limited and temporary, suggests ten do’s and don’ts for using the federal funds and closing the budget gap while avoiding harmful cuts and tax increases, and highlights possible allocation of the funds.
Letter
State Budget
Recommendations for FY 2009-2010 State Budget
February 02, 2009
This letter to the state legislature suggests two strategic directions to guide budget policy and offers a roadmap that avoids harmful tax increases and makes spending better serve New Yorkers by suggesting reforms in five key areas: Medicaid, school aid, correctional facilities, public employee benefits, and programs like STAR and Empire Zones.
Op Ed
Pensions & Benefits
State Can't Afford Overly Generous Pensions
January 31, 2009
Written by CBC President Carol Kellermann and President and CEO of the Business Council of New York City Kenneth Adams, this op-ed outlines Governor David Paterson’s proposed measures in response to the challenges associated with such a high-cost fringe benefit system.