NY: Governor backs school tax cap, conflicts with unions
According to TMCNews:
Jun. 4--ALBANY -- Gov. David Paterson on Tuesday embraced a tax cap recommended by a special commission and said he was preparing legislation to hold school tax increases to 4 percent annually. But the cap, described as the centerpiece of a strategy put forth Monday by the Commission on Property Tax Relief, got a tepid response in the Republican-controlled Senate. Its chance for success among Paterson's fellow Democrats who dominate the Assembly was in doubt.
With New York's education lobby and its powerful labor unions quickly coming out against the idea, it's unclear at best whether such a cap will be enacted before next fall, if ever. "I hear you," Paterson said, referring to complaints he's fielded about school taxes that are 79 percent above the national average and which the governor said are driving people out of the state. "Enough is enough. We have to implement a property tax cap now."... click to continue.
