Upstate United Releases 2022 Advocacy Agenda
January 3rd, 2022
Pro-taxpayer organization calls for action on key issues that will impact Upstate employers, taxpayers and New York’s economy.
Upstate United, a pro-taxpayer education and advocacy organization, released its 2022 Advocacy Agenda on Monday. The concise and comprehensive document, which is available on Upstate United’s website, focuses on seven key policy areas of importance to Upstate businesses, taxpayers and the statewide economy.
Upstate United’s 2022 Advocacy Agenda includes the following positions:
- Preventing a $9 billion unemployment insurance tax increase;
- Extending New York’s Brownfield Cleanup Program;
- Rejecting a government-run single payer system;
- Ensuring energy affordability and reliability;
- Investing in employer-led workforce development;
- Securing Upstate’s fair share of infrastructure investment; and
- Closing Upstate gaps to broadband access.
“Our 2022 Advocacy Agenda advances a commonsense approach to key issues. As our leaders chart a course to deal with the state’s economic crisis, we believe that this agenda will provide much-needed direction,” said Justin Wilcox, executive director of Upstate United. “Without meaningful pro-growth relief and reforms, New York will never recover from the last two years.”
With the release of this agenda, Upstate United seeks to reverse the troubling trends of unemployment and population declines. Since the beginning of 2020, New York’s private sector job total has decreased by approximately 1.3 million. Additionally, New York’s population has declined by more than 300,000 over the last year – more than any other state in the nation – according to recent data from the United State Census Bureau.
“New York can’t afford to limp along and pretend that everything is fine when the data says otherwise,” said Wilcox. “If we fail to reverse these trends, we’ll continue on a downward spiral. But if we work together to truly help overburdened taxpayers, we can get back on the road to recovery.”