Tedisco: State Budget Is So Bad It’s Criminal

Senator Jim Tedisco (R,C,I,REF-Glenville) today is blasting a state budget that was crafted in secret by one political party from one part of the state which substantially raises taxes, spending and borrowing and does more for law breakers than giving a break to honest, hard-working, law-abiding citizens.

Among the lowlights of this year’s state budget:

·       New taxes on internet purchases, prescription medicine, grocery bags, real estate purchases, driving to visit New York City, and renting a car for Upstate tourism.

·       Taxpayer-funded elections – welfare for politicians – to force taxpayers to fund negative political advertisements, robo-calls and campaign activities of candidates they do not support.

·       Eliminating cash bail --- “Get-out-of-jail-free cards” for dangerous criminals.

·       Making the public less safe and violating 1stAmendment rights of Freedom of the Press by significantly limiting the ability of mugshots and arrest information to be made public.

“This year’s state budget taxes too much, spends too much, borrows and mandates too much and does more to reward downstate special interests and those who break the law than help ease the tax ache for law-abiding citizens. It’s so bad for Upstate and law-abiding residents, it’s criminal,” said Senator Tedisco. “This is what happens when you have total domination of state government by one party from one region of the state creating a state spending plan that caters to extreme, partisan special interests and largely ignores the needs of Upstate taxpayers and struggling small businesses.”

“While I’m heartened the Property Tax Cap, which I was the original sponsor of and driving force for passage of when I was Assembly Minority Leader, was made permanent, the budget failed to include mandate relief for our local governments. I will be offering a budget amendment today for a holistic plan for mandate relief because we’d all love to create a perfect world, but somebody’s got to pay for it. Too often in New York, it’s our local municipalities and local property taxpayers who the state hands the bill to in the form of unfunded mandates,” said Tedisco.

“As a strong voice and proponent of education aid and fully-funding Foundation Aid, I’m shocked my Senate Majority colleagues who talked a big game, did nothing to meaningfully increase education funding compared to when my conference was in the Majority. Early on the so-called progressives talked the talk but they couldn’t walk the walk!” said Tedisco.

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