ALBANY—The soda tax is dead. Really.
David Paterson, speaking on WCBS 880 radio, said that even though he and legislative leaders may have to re-open the budget later this year, he will not include any of the nuisance taxes he originally proposed in his budget, then took off the table.
"We've taken the Read More
ALBANY—The soda tax is dead. Really. David Paterson, speaking on WCBS 880 radio, said that even though he and legislative leaders may have to re-open the budget later this year, he will not include any of the nuisance taxes he originally proposed in his budget, then took off the table. "We've taken the soda taxes, Read More
ALBANY—As promised, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz is advancing a bill that will impose a 10-cent-per-drink surcharge on alcohol.
He unveiled his bill at a packed press conference at which his remarks went from advocacy to public-service announcement. Ortiz, who successfully pushed to ban cell phone use while driving and proposed a tax on Read More
ALBANY—As promised, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz is advancing a bill that will impose a 10-cent-per-drink surcharge on alcohol. He unveiled his bill at a packed press conference at which his remarks went from advocacy to public-service announcement. Ortiz, who successfully pushed to ban cell phone use while driving and proposed a tax on strip club admissions, Read More
ALBANY—There's at least one legislator unhappy with the death of the fat tax: Assemblyman Felix Ortiz. The Brooklyn Democrat - who just today called for a new tax on strip club admission (which, for the record, David Paterson said he does not support), says he is "disappointed and very concerned" by the repeal. He thinks Read More
ALBANY—There's at least one legislator unhappy with the death of the fat tax: Assemblyman Felix Ortiz.
The Brooklyn Democrat - who just today called for a new tax on strip club admission (which, for the record, David Paterson said he does not support), says he is "disappointed and very concerned" by the Read More
ALBANY—David Paterson's did not get any approval bump, or take a hit, since his State of the State address last week, a poll released today found.
A Quinnipiac University survey of over 1,600 voters found that the governor's approval rating is steady at around 53 percent - the same level as Christmas Eve. Read More
ALBANY—Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines has taken back to YouTube to defend David Paterson's proposed tax on sugary drinks -- this time in Spanish.
Dr. Daines learned the language as a Mormon missionary in the early 1970s in Bolivia, according to Health Department spokeswoman Claudia Hutton.
"He feels he loses touch with a lot of Read More
ALBANY—As David Paterson and Chuck Schumer talked about new federal aid—hopefully at least $5 billion in Medicaid funding and "billions" for education, depending on the estimate—Paterson said it would be his preference to use some of the new money to roll back some of the tax and fee increases he proposed in his budget. Read More
ALBANY—David Paterson's approval rating has slipped 11 points since August, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today.
Paterson has come under fire on multiple fronts for proposing a budget that includes tax and fee increases on everything from soda to iTunes downloads. Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they disapprove of Paterson's approach to Read More
ALBANY—Now, David Paterson seems very much like a man looking to reach an accommodation with his liberal critics over the budget.
In a conference call with reporters, Paterson said, "If you listen to the opponents of this deficit, and you ask them, what's your proposal, they may talk about personal income taxes."
Of course, if Read More
ALBANY—It sounds as if David Paterson might be tired of this particular argument.
He called a conference call this afternoon for reporters--which started an hour late--because, he said, "just, my sense, that the full story of our economic crisis is not fully appreciated."
"They're not recognizing that his is 2008," said of opponents of the Read More
ALBANY—Oh, now he's done it.
This was supposed to be a budget battle, over technical minutiae on Medicaid reimbursement streams and Wick's Law, to make all but the biggest government geek's eyes glaze over.
But there they were, right on pages 125 through 136 of a budget briefing binder: new taxes and fees on Read More
ALBANY—The legislative leaders have responded to David Paterson's proposed budget.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's position was unspecific. He acknowledged the need for cuts and praised the governor for his proposal, but parried question after question from reporters, saying that his members and staff are reviewing the proposal.
"We'll review all of his proposals and Read More
ALBANY—As expected, David Paterson's proposed budget doesn't reduce the budget gap with, say, an increase on income tax on the wealthy, but raises fees and taxes on a veritable potpourri services and goods.
A sample:
-- The sales tax will be extended to movie tickets and sporting events. If ticker issuers already Read More
