For the past couple of weeks the City Council has been holding our hearings on Mayor Bloomberg's preliminary budget for New York City for 2011-2012. Despite what some have said, this is most certainly not a "good news" budget.
In these hearings, I’ve been hearing first-hand about the devastating service cuts that we are going to see under the current proposal: closing 100 senior centers, where our seniors go to get a hot meal, some companionship, and links to services; the elimination of over 16,000 child care slots, each one relied on by a family to get to work and keep their kids safe; and cutting 6,000 teaching positions, causing class sizes to increase dramatically. Every day, I hear from constituents and service providers who would be directly impacted by these cuts.
Balancing our budget will require making some difficult choices. Yet at the same time that so many middle-class and low-income families are being asked to sacrifice, Governor Cuomo (with support from Mayor Bloomberg and the so-called "Committee to Save New York") is proposing to give a $4 billion tax break to New York's wealthiest households.
The governor plans to allow the state’s existing “personal income tax (PIT) surcharge” on high-income earners to expire this year. The surcharge has been in place for several years, with no credible evidence that it has driven wealthy New Yorkers to leave the state.
There are only a few days left before budget will be finalized on March 31, but it is not too late for the Governor to change his mind. I hope you will join me in calling on Governor Cuomo to extend the PIT, by contacting the governor via his website.
To be honest, it seems to me that if we decide together (since that's what a budget is, after all) that this is a good time to give a tax break to the wealthiest 2% of households, then we are all responsible for the devastating cuts to schools, seniors, and families. Please take a moment to contact Governor Cuomo and tell him not to give up this vital source of revenue.
Brad Lander represents the 39th Council District, which includes Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill.
