Winner: Tax Refunds Should Not Be Delayed

Albany, N.Y.—State Senator George Winner (R-C-I, Elmira) has urged New York Governor David Paterson to scrap any plans his administration is considering to delay payment of state income tax refunds to thousands of state taxpayers.

The Paterson administration’s consideration of a tax refund check postponement surfaced in news reports earlier this week.

“Why are state and local taxpayers the first place Albany’s current leaders turn to when they go looking for a way out of a fiscal mess?  It’s a mindset that’s caused a lot of hardship for a lot of taxpayers over the past year, and it has to stop,” Winner said, noting that the 2009-2010 state budget enacted by Paterson and legislative leaders last April increased state taxes and fees by more than $8 billion, in addition to the elimination of the STAR property tax rebate program.     

The state currently caps the amount of income-tax refunds it pays before March 31st of each fiscal year to  $1.75 billion. The Paterson proposal under consideration would lower the cap to $1.25 billion. 

It could possibly result in a two-month delay for many taxpayers waiting for a state income tax refund.

“It’s a terrible economic time to ask hard-pressed taxpayers to wait a little longer for tax relief that they’ve earned,” Winner said. 
      

-30-