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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.
Testimony
State Budget
Testimony on State Budget Process Reforms
Delivered to the Senate Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration Reform
February 27, 2009
This testimony by CBC Deputy Research Director Elizabeth Lynam highlights CBC’s work on fiscal reform and shares thoughts and recommendations on the work of the Senate Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration Reform.
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.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
Six-Figure Civil Servants
Average Compensation Cost Of New York City Public Employees
January 08, 2009
In fiscal year 2008, the average compensation cost per New York City full-time employee was $106,743; this figure represents a system out of sync with the private sector and an opportunity to limit the growth of the City’s liability in the future while continuing to provide fair and adequate compensation to the City’s employees. Three factors that have driven the growth in compensation among City employees are: 1) Pay increases are directly attributable to contract settlements with unions; 2) More generous terms of the health insurance benefits offered by the City, as compared to the private sector and other state and local governments; and 3) The benefit retirement plans offered by the City that lock in the City’s future payouts to retirees based on the employee’s pay, years of employment and age at retirement among other factors. CBC offers three recommendations in response to these factors.
Report
State Budget
New York's Endangered Future
Debt Beyond Our Means
September 21, 2005
New York State's debt obligations will require current and future taxpayers to bear a burden that creates a competitive disadvantage with the other states. The core issue is that New York has no effective legal limits on the amount of debt it can assume. CBC advocates for short-run and long-run measures; in the near term, voters should reject bond referendums such as the Transportation Bond Act of 2005 until debt is brought under control, and in the long-run the State must strike a balance between adequate infrastructure investment and a competitive debt burden.
Report
State Budget
The Palisades Principles Revisited
A Progress Report
June 04, 2005
CBC reviews New York State’s progress on the 10 principles of budget reform known as the Palisades Principles. These 10 principles emerged from a statewide conference of civic and business leaders held in November 2003 in Palisades, NY. Of the 10 principles, four have shown no progress, five have shown some progress, and only one has shown significant progress.
Report
Pensions & Benefits
The Case for Redesigning Retirement Benefits for New York's Public Employees
April 29, 2005
This report presents recommendations for redesigning the retirement benefits – health insurance and pension payments – for employees of the City of New York and State of New York. It includes a description of current benefits and a comparison to benefits provided by other large private and public employers.
Report
State Budget
Recommendations for the New York State 2005-2006 Budget
March 21, 2005
CBC recommends for the fiscal year 2005-2006 State budget: 1) Significantly reduce spending on Medicaid and on ineffective programs; 2) Make meaningful progress in a long-run realignment of state and local fiscal responsibilities for Medicaid and school financing; 3) Balance the budget with recurring revenues; and 4) Enact the budget on time and in full sunlight.
Report
Education
Can New York Get An A In School Finance Reform?
January 01, 2005
The State of New York faces a major challenge stemming from a 2003 ruling by the Court of Appeals, the State’s highest court, which found that the more than 1 million children in New York City’s public schools were not provided with the sound basic education guaranteed to them by the State Constitution. CBC addresses two fundamental questions: Where should the money come from? What changes other than more money are essential to improving educational outcomes?
Report
State Budget
Fixing New York State's Fiscal Practices
Five Problems That Hurt New York State and What Can Be Done to Fix Them
November 09, 2003
This report highlights 5 major fiscal issues facing New York State: 1) New Yorkers are the most heavily taxed Americans; 2) the State’s debt burden is among the highest in the nation; 3) New York has large and recurring budget gaps; 4) the budget process lacks timeliness, transparency, and responsibility; and 5) improvements in fiscal practices are hampered by unresponsive governmental institutions. In addition, the report offers solutions to these important issues.
Report
State Budget
Reform in New York
The Budget, The Legislature, and the Governance Process
November 09, 2003
This is a report on New York State's legislative process presented on behalf of the CBC by Professor Gerald Benjamin of SUNY New Paltz. It was presented at a 2003 CBC conference on New York State's Fiscal Practices.
Report
State Budget
Looking Beyond Fiscal Year 2004
Guidelines for Resolving New York State's Fiscal Crisis
March 26, 2003
This report that highlights an alternative framework for addressing New York State’s fiscal crisis.