Afternoon read: Spending and going broke
Not how the state does its revenue gathering, one hopes. Photo: Tax Credits CC some rights reserved
New York’s legislature is still hammering out the state budget today, and it doesn’t look likely they’ll be done before tomorrow. But some information’s starting to come out about what New York will be spending its money on in the coming fiscal year.
It looks like the minimum wage increase is a go, reports WTNY News, which says
New York State’s minimum wage is set to go up in the latest budget deal.
According to reports the minimum wage in the Empire State will jump from $7.25 an hour to $8.00 an hour in January of 2014. Further increases would see the minimum wage move to $8.75 in 2015 and then $9.00 in 2016.
A measure to have the minimum wage automatically increase with the rate of inflation has been tabled.
Meanwhile, the Albany Times-Union’s Capitol Confidential blog reports that legislators agreed today on various and sundry tax breaks which are tied to the renewal of the “millionaires tax.” That tax (a surcharge on those reporting more than $1 million in income, which obviously includes me as a public radio reporter) is due to expire in 2014. It’s not clear whether this renewal will be permanent or will “sunset”, as they say, in another couple years. Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) had an excellently noncommittal, and very New York-y response to that question: “I could do everything permanent, I could do everything sunset,” said the assemblyman. Was he shrugging when he said it? I don’t know.
We, in particular reporter Julie Grant, have reported a lot here on the impacts of state aid to local schools (recently, on eighteen upstate senators coming together to push for more state money for school). Today in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Chris Knight reports on the Tupper Lake Central School District, which said Monday that if it doesn’t get more state aid it may over the next few years become insolvent and have to close its doors. We’ll have more on that story on our air, tomorrow on the 8 O’clock Hour. As board member Jane Whitmore said at Monday’s meeting, “it’s scary times.”
They just can’t do the $9 thing…..Fat disgusting bastards! You would think it coming right of their pockets…
Somebody fill me in; Why is the minimum wage discussion even a topic in budget negotiations??
tootight, I would hazard a guess that it is the deep pockets folks who control 96% of the total assets of the U.S. as well as State and Federal members of congress who have no intention of allowing we “worthless eaters” even a toe hold onto a quasi-level playing field are calling the shots.
The minimum needs to be higher than $9 per hour. It’s also disappointing that the escalators will not be part of the bill. This only sets up another battle sometime around year 2025 when they want to raise it above $9. If it were tied to inflation, it would be easier for an employer to budget. Doing it this way, the end result is a 24% raise over 3 years.
Ah, if only we could make marijuana reform part of the budget discussion. It seems that’s the only way policy reform gets accomplished in this state. You know, by bribing the other side with some sort of budgetary shenanigans.
Toss Skelos a bone so he’ll agree since he apparently was the only one holding it up last August. Maybe an extra staff position on the tax payers tab? An additional parking spot at the Capital? Some more state grant money to one of your constituents? What will it take, Dean?
The announcement late today of a $350 payment (bribe? Payoff?) to every NY household with a child makes me furious! That is MY tax money that should be spent to pay for the many many necessary services that the state provides its citizens. I already pay heavily for others to have children as they get tax deductions AND free public schooling. This kind of giveaway is the lowest form of gratuitous vote buying low brow cheap gimmick that makes us all distrust this governor and all state legislators.
I’m with Richard on this issue. And – since when is a household with an income of $300,000 categorized as “middle income”? They need a $350 rebate check? What for – to tip the pool boy?