State Assembly Republicans to the Democrats: “Read our lips, no new taxes.” That was the message from the Assembly Minority Conference this week as GOP lawmakers blasted what they see as growing signals that Albany may be preparing to raise taxes despite New York’s already crushing cost burden.
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said any discussion of new taxes must be “wholly rejected,” citing the state’s spiraling outmigration and its bottom-of-the-nation tax rankings. “New York’s economic climate is toxic,” Barclay said. “It is beyond brazen for the liberal Democrat camp to even insinuate a tax hike. How could you even begin to consider compounding this crisis with additional tax hikes? It is ridiculous to even entertain the notion.”
Barclay warned that although progressives claim any increases would target corporations or high earners, the reality would eventually hit working families. “Revenue-hungry progressives will turn to everyday New Yorkers to make up the difference while businesses inevitably flee,” he said.
Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano echoed the concerns, calling talk of tax hikes “tone-deaf to the financial pain families are already feeling.” He added, “New Yorkers pay among the highest taxes and fees in America. That’s why people are leaving. If Albany raises taxes again, you’ll see the exodus.” DeStefano said residents in his Suffolk district “are stretched to the breaking point,” and warned that “any tax hike—no matter how they dress it up—will land squarely on homeowners, commuters and small businesses.”
Republicans are pushing a slate of bills aimed at reducing costs, including Barclay’s proposal to eliminate state sales tax on fuel, household products, personal care items and ready-to-eat foods. Another measure would exempt the first $50,000 of income for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
“To us, affordability is more than a buzzword,” Barclay said. “If we’re going to restore New York’s competitiveness, it starts with stopping the bleeding—not raising taxes.”