Senate Majority Releases 2018 ‘Affordability Agenda’

January 24th, 2018

On Tuesday, the Senate Republican Conference announced the release of its ‘Affordability Agenda,’ which is “designed to help individuals, families, and seniors continue to live, work, and succeed in New York” and is the first part of their broader “Blueprint for a Stronger New York.” [Watch the Senate Republican press conference here.]

Their agenda recognizes that New York State has a property tax crisis, and propose that the state tax real steps to address it by making the state’s property tax cap permanent; continuing to provide property tax rebate checks; reducing taxes on energy; doubling the state’s current exemption on pension income; enacting a permanent two-percent spending cap; requiring a supermajority vote on legislation that would increase taxes; a constitutional amendment to ban unfunded mandates; and providing relief from existing mandates.

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R – Suffolk County) said:

“Whether you are a New Yorker looking to begin a career, a young family working hard to make ends meet, or an older New Yorker looking to stay in your community, our state’s high cost of living is forcing thousands of New Yorkers to flee to other parts of the country. The Senate Majority is taking action to stop this outmigration and make our state more affordable by delivering $4.2 billion in middle class income tax cuts this year, proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax relief, and ensuring long-term fiscal responsibility in government.”

The Senate Majority is proposing a series of measures that will reduce the cost of living for millions of New Yorkers and make Upstate a more attractive place to start and grow a business. We will be working to help advance this agenda in Albany in 2018.