Senator Gallivan Joins Colleagues in Unveiling Plan to Make NY More Affordable

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan, (R-C, Elma) joined members of the Senate Minority Conference in unveiling a plan to create “A More Affordable New York.” The proposal is one of several initiatives being proposed as part of the conference’s Rescue New York Agenda. The plan is designed to help middle class taxpayers and build a stronger economy statewide. 

“Residents and businesses across New York continue to pay some of the highest taxes in the nation,” Senator Gallivan said.  “We need to control state spending by making the two-percent spending cap permanent and help local governments control property taxes by eliminating costly state mandates.  We can also improve New York's business climate by cutting burdensome and unnecessary regulations placed on employers which make it more difficult for them to succeed. As taxpayers continue to face stubbornly high inflation, the government should be working to make our state more affordable, not less.” 

The Minority Conference specifically called out several Executive Budget proposals that would exacerbate New York State’s lack of affordability, including:

• Eliminating enhanced Medicaid payments to local governments, which would create enormous pressure to increase local property taxes;
• Increasing unemployment insurance taxes on already struggling small businesses and farms

In contrast, the “More Affordable New York” initiative will put money back into the pockets of taxpayers and make our state affordable once again as families continue to struggle with rising costs due to record high inflation, including:

• Eliminating costly unfunded mandates that drive up local property taxes;
• Protecting businesses from unemployment insurance tax hikes by creating an Unemployment Insurance Solvency Reserve Fund and repealing the interest assessment surcharge, which is the assessment on businesses to pay back the UI Trust Fund’s deficit

Earlier this year, Senator Gallivan and his colleagues unveiled a 2023 Legislative Agenda that would make New York safer, stronger, more affordable and more free.

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