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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TODAY: 08.20.08
Contact: Suzanne Redmond (315) 255-3045
FINCH VOTES "NO" ON TAX INCREASE
In an emergency session called by the Governor, Assemblyman Gary
D. Finch (R,C - Springport) voted against proposed tax increases and
voted to reduced state spending. Finch worked into the early hours of
the morning to pass a reduction of $427 Million from the budget to help
ease our state's growing financial woes.
"New York State is in a serious fiscal crisis and this Legislature
has been dragging its feet for too long," said Finch. "As we
look towards the increasing debt and the next budget cycle, this
reduction is just the start of some fiscal restraint that I plan on
fighting for in
Albany."
Earlier in the day Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
failed to address the Governor's call to act on the property tax cap
that was passed by the State Senate two weeks ago. Instead the Assembly
Democrats shoved a $2.6 Billion tax increase through the Assembly which
defied the will of the majority of New Yorkers. This tax increase was
combined with the proposed property tax "circuit breaker". Assembly
Republicans initially proposed a circuit breaker that has no tax
increase that would coincide with a real property tax cap.
"The circuit breaker
legislation that passed the Assembly yesterday offers no long term
solution to reforming the real property tax
system, in fact it does not provide school districts and municipalities
with any incentive to be more efficient and effective," said Finch.
The income tax
increase was proposed as a cover to the Speaker's proposed "circuit
breaker". In actuality, the Speaker only needed $1.7 Billion of a tax
increase to cover the "circuit breaker", thus leaving close to $1
Billion left over for spending that went unexplained.
"New Yorkers can not bear the burden of another tax
increase, especially for unexplained spending. This state needs
comprehensive reforms to the taxing system that will help all families,
small businesses, retirees, and agriculturalist," stated Finch.
"Using personal income credits as bait to voters and
then adding additional tax burdens does nothing to solve the State's
spending problem. That is why I voted against the Speaker's proposal
and for the proposals to reduce spending," said Finch.
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