Tax Cap Opposition Launches Tv Ad

The Working Families Party and the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) are launching a $1.5 million tv ad campaign against Gov. David Paterson's property tax cap.

The ad – titled "Wrong Answer" – quotes the New York Times' description of Paterson's tax cap "gimmick"  and argues that the tax cap "is the wrong answer to the serious problem of property taxes.  Similar caps have devastated public education in states like California, Massachusetts and Illinois."

It will air starting today on a mix of broadcast and cable stations in Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse, and run through August 19th, the day the State Assembly returns for a special session.  The cost of the ad buy is approximately $1.5 million.

The Senate passed Paterson's tax cap plan last Friday, 38-20, with all no-votes coming from Senate Democrats, a cause of strife within the Democratic conference.

This is the WFP and education lobby's attempt to bury the issue, for fear that now the Senate has passed it, the Assembly may consider the issue - as individual Democratic conference members, particularly those from the suburbs, may have to face the issue in their districts during the election.

The Senate Vote breakdown:

Yes: All Senate Republicans, Aubertine, Smith, Johnson, Klein, Valesky, Sabini, Stachowski

No: Adams, Breslin, Connor, Diaz, Dilan, Duane, Gonzalez, Hassell-Thompson, Huntley, L. Krueger, Montgomery, Onorato, Parker, Perkins, Sampson, Savino, Serrano, Stavisky, Stewart-Cousins and Thompson.

Absent: Oppenheimer, Kruger, Schneiderman