All I can say is: No wonder Albany lawmakers negotiated this budget under a cloak of darkness.
Under the 2009-10 state budget, New Yorkers can expect to pay more for wine and beer, gas and electric and get hit with new taxes when they rent a car, go fishing or renew their drivers’ licenses.
Paterson defended the $131.8 billion state budget, even though it increases spending by nearly 9 percent over the budget he presented in December. He said most of the increase – about $7.2 billion of the $10.5 billion – comes from using federal stimulus money on mandated programs.
“You have the biggest tax and fee package in state history by any standard,” said E.J McMahon, director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy.
Senate Republicans estimated that an upstate family of four will have to pay about $2,400 more a year in higher state taxes and fees because of the budget.
“Right out of the box, New York’s Democratic leaders are going to raise your taxes and put your job at risk so they can afford higher government spending,” said Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira.
“It’s even worse than I imagined.”
As if we aren’t taxed enough already! The worst offense is the tax increase on energy. Here in the Northeast it’s not like we can go without heating our homes. My husband and I were looking forward to a little bit of savings on our home heating bills after insulating our attic. I guess we can kiss that savings goodbye. Rather than sending the money to the utility company, we now can send it to the state. Lucky us.
To those of you in other states, let this be a lesson. Pretty soon the whole nation will be like New York and California.
H/T to reader Shannon L.
