By Hank Russell
A local state senator blasted Governor Kathy Hochul and the Democrats in the state Legislature for allowing taxes and prices to go up, pushing New Yorkers to leave the state and move elsewhere in the country with lower, less burdensome tax rates. He has also petitioned his constituents to support a tax cut bill he introduced in February, in hopes it comes to a floor vote.
Steven Rhoads (R-Levittown) cited data from the Citizens Budget Commission of New York (CBCNY), which showed that New York residents pay an average of $12,495 a year in state and local taxes — the highest in the nation. Further, New Yorkers pay $46 in taxes for each $1,000 in personal income. That is second to Oregon ($48/$1,000) and 112% above the national average ($22/$1,000).
More bad news for New Yorkers, although it is not surprising: the state is second to New Jersey in property taxes at $3,454 a year. That is 71% above the national average of $2,2025.
Businesses in New York pay the most in the U.S. when it comes to corporate taxes — $18 per $1,000 of GDP, based on CBCNY data. That rate is 171% above the national average of $7/$1,000 of GDP.
“New Yorkers are voting with their feet because Albany Democrats have made our state unaffordable,” Rhoads said. “Year after year, they continue to raise taxes, increase spending, and push policies that drive families, seniors, and businesses out of New York.”
Earlier this year, Rhoads introduced the Taxpayer Rescue Act that he said would have provided $37 billion in tax cuts — the most in the state’s history. It would have lowered rates and phased in exemptions of $100,000 for married couples filing jointly, $75,000 for heads of household and $50,000 for single taxpayers over a 10-year period. Local cosponsors included Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R,C-Valley Stream), Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Alexis Weik (R-Sayville).
The legislation, however, was never included in the budget, as it is currently languishing in the Budget and Revenue Committee.
Rhoads said his bill would “[give] hardworking New Yorkers the financial breathing room they deserve. Instead of making life more expensive, Albany Democrats should focus on affordability and letting New Yorkers keep what they’ve earned.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to Hochul’s office for comment. “Governor Hochul’s top priority is and has always been making New York more affordable for hardworking families,” a Hochul spokesperson said. “That’s why she has championed a historic middle class tax cuts, expanded child tax credits, implemented universal free school meals, eliminated copays for insulin, passed a Ratepayer Protection Plan and energy rebate check to hold the line on utility costs and why last year’s budget promised to put up to $5,000 back in the pockets of New Yorkers”
The spokesperson said that, if Rhoads were serious about affordability, “he should work with his Republican colleagues in Washington to roll back the devastating cuts to healthcare and food assistance programs and put an end to the tariffs that are driving costs up across the board.”
Rhoads said Hochul’s response “underscores exactly why this state will continue its death spiral under her failed leadership. Every state in the nation lives under the same federal policies, yet New York is somehow the worst among those states in every affordability category that matters. That’s not a Washington problem. That’s an Albany problem and Hochul’s $200 rebate check gimmick isn’t the answer. New York families continue to pay the price while our governor and Albany Democrats delude themselves into believing otherwise. New Yorkers deserve better.”