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Tuesday, February 11, 2025

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A potent winter storm is thumping 1,500 miles of the US. Two more are right behind it; Amid scientists' warnings, Trump admin. sued over medical research cuts; Mississippi communities find local solutions to rural education challenges; CT groups rally against gas pipeline expansion.

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President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

Report: State tax breaks cost NY almost $3 billion

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Monday, February 3, 2025   

A new report showed New York State loses nearly $3 billion a year due to tax exemptions.

The state Senate report found most exempted items cost the state millions, which could be spent elsewhere. The list of exempted items includes sales tax on private jet service, which would net around $6 million, and the sale of precious metals like gold, which could mean another $601 million in tax revenue.

Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Sunset Park, said such exemptions were not made for everyday New Yorkers.

"All of these exemptions don't serve the 99.9% of New Yorkers who are just trying to live ordinary lives," Gounardes asserted. "These are things that, I don't know about you, but I'm not buying gold bars in thousand-dollar increments, and I don't have a private jet to finance or maintain. Who's really benefiting from these carveouts and why can't we do better?"

Revising the state's tax code is what it would take to end the exemptions. Gounardes wants to see any additional revenue to be spent on programs to help families in poverty. A 2024 New York State Comptroller report found the state's child poverty rate is among the worst in the nation.

One option for cutting the child poverty rate is working its way through the Legislature. The Working Families Tax Credit bill would streamline existing tax credits into a single credit, raising the maximum tax credit to $1,600, with a $100 minimum credit per child regardless of income. Gounardes argued it could ensure more families can afford life in New York State.

"It would help us reduce deep child poverty by nearly 25%," Gounardes pointed out. "It would help us reduce child poverty overall by approximately 17%. That's significant. The total cost of that is approximately $3 billion. I think there's a great place to start. Let's actually help families afford living here."

He added the bill would also help the state achieve its goal of cutting child poverty in half by 2031. The state's Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council has recommended public benefits reform and major investments in child care and housing to complete the goal.


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