ALBANY, NY – As the clock ticks down to the deadline for state lawmakers to pass a ballooning state budget, New York was crowned as the state with the most tax burden by WalletHub. Matt Slater, candidate for the 94th Assembly District, says the pending budget for 2022-2023 fails to put the state on a trajectory to lose this dubious title.
"For weeks I have been traveling across Putnam and Northern Westchester listening to families, seniors and small businesses who say the cost of living in New York State is nearly insurmountable. This year's budget is an opportunity to finally right the ship, but instead all we see out of the state capitol is more irresponsible spending that puts the middle class in danger of extinction."
Both the Senate and Assembly passed individual budget resolutions laying out their priorities. The Assembly's budget increased the state's operating costs by $13 billion which is a 10.3% increase according to an analysis conducted by the Empire Center.
Among the many new proposals one has been met with stiff opposition in the 94th Assembly District calls for spending more than $350 million to provide free health insurance for immigrants who do not qualify for existing programs because they are in New York illegally. Insiders believe this will be approved by the New York City controlled legislature.
"People are fleeing New York to state's with less taxes and more freedom," Slater said. "Inflation is through the roof because federal and state governments are overspending and New York State is doubling down. People are at their breaking point and we need leaders who recognize the importance of fiscal restraint which will put New York in a stronger position for years to come."
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has warned lawmakers that while the State is seeing higher than expected revenue, instituting programs that create a recurring cost should be avoided. “The word of caution that I’ve been saying all along is even though revenues are coming in higher than anticipated, and we have the federal funding, if we are going to do additional spending beyond what the executive has proposed, be careful that it’s not recurring — unless you have the revenue to back that up.”
As Yorktown Town Supervisor, Slater delivered the first tax cut in a generation while slashing spending by $4 million and growing the Town's fund balance by $3 million. The Town's operational budget remained flat in 2022.
The State budget is due on April 1st.