Assembly, Senate don’t see eye to eye
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- August
- 19
ÂÂ ÂÂ The Democrat-controlled Assembly passed what’s known as a circuit-breaker tax this afternoon, meaning property taxesÂÂ would be capped based on homeowners’ ability to pay. The goal is to help middle class homeowners.ÂÂ Assembly membersÂÂ are not taking up legislation to cap school property taxes, which the governor recommended and theÂÂ Senate previouslyÂÂ passed.
ÂÂ ÂÂ Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco, R-Schenectady, scoffed at the Assembly bill, which is unlikely to be introduced in the Republican-led Senate. Passing the legislation was an “attempt to ram through another $2.6 billion in tax hikes,” he said.
ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ “This behavior leads me to one of two conclusions: either (Assembly) Speaker (Sheldon) Silver is unaware of New York’s fiscal crisis – and what it will take to actually fix it – or, he is more concerned with advancing a political agenda than helping people,” Tedisco said.
ÂÂ ÂÂ The legislation received praise from the Alliance for Quality Education and other groups.
ÂÂ ÂÂ “While the state Senate Majority is chasing the sound bits and gimmickry of a so-called tax cap that reduces nobody’s taxes and threatens the quality of our schools, the Assembly Majority has adopted the only plan in Albany that actually caps and reduces the property taxes of individual homeowners,” Billy Easton, director of the alliance, said in a statement.ÂÂ ÂÂ Meanwhile, lawmakers from both houses are still working on an agreement to cut the state budget, the reason Gov. David Paterson called today’s special session.
ÂÂ ÂÂ The Senate passed its own one-house bill—a constitutional amendment to limit state spending increases to 4 percent a year.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 5:48 pm by Cara Matthews.
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It is time to vote against the assembly members who voted for the Circuit Breaker. This will not cap our taxes. A Property Tax Cap would have limited the amount we would pay in our taxes.
Throw the Bums out
From the Daily News, here are the votes opposing the measure…
“UPDATE: The no votes were:
Amedore, Bacalles, Barclay, Boyle, Burling, Cole, Conte, Crouch, Errigo, Finch, Fitzpatrick, Giglio, Hawley, Hayes, Kolb, Lopez, Morelle, Oaks, O’Mara, Quinn, Reilich, Schimminger, Tedisco, Tobacco.
Excused: Abbate, Gantt, Hikind, Wright.
Absent: Lafayette.”
Notice whose name isn’t on that list- Greg Ball. Geez, but wasn’t he on the Tax Cap Express? Maybe he likes both?
Ball is endorsed by the taxpayer groups because he supports the 3-legged stool approach: A tax cap, a circuit breaker, and unfunded mandate reform.
This is no surprise, it was just on the lohudblogs earlier that Ball supports the circuit breaker.
However, as Tom Suozzi, a circuit breaker without the cap is useless.
Ball will support ANYTHING that gains him media attention !
Throw the critics out! People want a tax break…you conservatives want to destroy government, hiding behind tax relief. When given a chance to back a real plan, you show your true colors. You Oppose the tax cut plan because it didn’t come from the angry right-wing. All you want to do is THROW THE BUMS OUT..meaning you want to get rid of Democrats, beacuse you want Republicans in.
Won’t happen – this state is not Mississippi or Utah. The majority, which elects Democrats, wants progressive policies.