..

[Zippa D Doodah]

Ugh. These new taxes are ridiculous. Like we don't pay enough in taxes already. I believe we have enough people fleeing the state and moving elsewhere as it is.

18% tax on soda? Come on. I don't think that'll really drive away hardcore soda drinkers, just the casual drinkers. And taxing non-diet sodas - what about people who are allergic to artifical sweetners and can't have diet soda? Too bad for them I guess.

And taxing Ipod downloads? Give me a break. It's bad enough I have to pay sales tax of stuff I buy from the internet now. (And I can kind of understand that, I guess, even though I hate it.) You're going to tax a 99 cent song now? And movie tickets cost enough as it is and they have a hard enough time getting people to go - I'm sure taxing them we'll really bring the crowds in.

You can't tell me taxing us for every little thing is the best plan for the state. You wanna tax all these things? Fine. I have no problem driving into CT - I'll do my business there.

Ugh, this whole issue just has me steamed. All us New Yorkers should contact our representative and tell them what we think.

I am sincerely hoping you will vote out the entire gallery of insane politicians who would impose this upon you. That would send a message to the cowardly politicians running the other 49 -not to mention the tax and spend liberals now firmly controlling Washington. I think that's the only thing that will get their attention.

 

[koolaidmoms]

I can't believe this as I read post #60. We have trouble keeping doctors, bringing businesses and keeping them here and now this. Why don't we just shut NYS down now. There is no way anyone will want to live here if this keeps going on.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I can't believe this as I read post #60. We have trouble keeping doctors, bringing businesses and keeping them here and now this. Why don't we just shut NYS down now. There is no way anyone will want to live here if this keeps going on.

Can you just imagine the extent to which those who are left will be taxed?

 

[Charade]

Exactly. Such taxes are shotgun style blasts to the public's wallets. The truth behind this is liberal governments just want to tax people. Any money that individuals accumulate can be more properly used by the government (so goes that particular mindset).
Once they've taxed sodas and that's all played out, the bloodsuckers will move along to something else to tax. My state (NC) is mulling a mileage tax (taxing drivers for number of miles driven per year).

That's double taxation. You can't tax gas and mileage. Pick one or the other.

 

[C.Ann]

..................

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

That's double taxation. You can't tax gas and mileage. Pick one or the other.

That's what I was figuring too. But apparently Raleigh is thisclose to justifying exactly that. Perhaps most galling, we have one of the higher gas taxes in the US.

 

[mickeymedic]

Cutting Medicaid reimbursement is a really really really bad idea. I agree with C. Ann and they should do something to address fraud. However, the Healthcare industry cannot afford to have any form of payment cut. Speaking from my experience in the Ambulance industry, it costs us more and more every year to provide our service. The cost of fuel goes up, the cost of supplies go up, and employees expect a raise. But Medicaid reimbursement rarely increases at all - let alone enough to cover the increase cost to provide the service. And now Patterson wants to DECREASE the Medicaid reimbursement. Does Patterson want to put all private urban ambulance companies out of business? Then who will take care of the sick and injured in those communities? Municipal fire departments who do not currently provide ambulance service are not going to all of a sudden take over. It is expensive to start up and even more expensive to run. Who's going to pay? Well, if it's municipal, then the tax-payers will see their local taxes increase to pay the difference.

It is frustrating to work in an industry where everyone expects you to provide the service but no one wants to pay for that service.

I think Patterson needs to seriously rethink some of his proposals. Or else he will discover that any New York residents who have the financial means to move out of state will move out of state. And all that will be left will be those who are not financially well off.

 

[TDC Nala]

He did cut spending.

Some of the taxes seem odd. Many fast food places let you fill your own cups. If they see you put in non-diet sodas are they going to run over and charge you tax?

New York would probably be required to stop the fill your own cups thing.

 

[MoniqueU]

People keep voting in tax and spenders, this is what happens. That's why I vote with my pocket book and voted against obama. IF you think that is going to be bad in NY I wonder how bad it will be here in my home state where we have the liberal in sheeps clothing in office the govenator. No telling what he will do to us. I already got a tax bill from an audit back in 2005 with tons of interest and penalties on it with no money to pay it. Seemed real timely to me.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

O.K. I just looked at my tax bill and my STAR savings is $989.00, so that is JUST 1 thing alone that the Gov. is taking away from us. I cant believe this!!

I know the local senator sent us an e mail and I havent read it yet, he is really big on pushing the star stuff around here, especially since my regular taxes alone are $7,700 plus.

I would read your whole list C. Ann, but due to time and it probably making me nauseous I will wait.

 

[ntsammy5]

People keep voting in tax and spenders, this is what happens. That's why I vote with my pocket book and voted against obama. .

I do the same thing. Sadly I voted twice for Bush as a fiscal conservative and he's left us with the biggest deficit in history and a crippling multi-trillion dollar bailout. You can't trust any of them! They all lie! and they all spend like drunken sailors!

 

[luvmy3]

O.K. I just looked at my tax bill and my STAR savings is $989.00, so that is JUST 1 thing alone that the Gov. is taking away from us. I cant believe this!!

I know the local senator sent us an e mail and I havent read it yet, he is really big on pushing the star stuff around here, especially since my regular taxes alone are $7,700 plus.

I would read your whole list C. Ann, but due to time and it probably making me nauseous I will wait.

Not only will they take the STAR savings away, our taxes will be raising too

 

[adkkev]

STAR is NOT disappearing ... you will still get a reduction in your school tax bill just like you always have. What's been proposed has been the elimination of the STAR rebate check which typically gets mailed in the fall ... this was not a part of the original STAR program but was added a few years ago by the legislature (sorta like an 'please re-elect us' bribe).

The actual budget is increasing by about 1% overall. School aid will increase but it just won't increase as much as it was supposed to (per older budget plans).

The increase in various fees is ridiculous ... it may have been smarter to just raise the income tax for everyone, or even raise the state sales tax by half a percent.

And if you file your income taxes with paper forms, he wants to charge you $10.

 

[adkkev]

And how do they propose to keep track of this - and who purchases these items on the internet? Many people in NY are already making purchases on-line and not paying sales tax.. Will this fall on the shoulders of the sellers to enforce?

There's already a line on the income tax forms that deals with online purchases ... it's been set up so you just choose to pay tax based upon your income (based upon the theory that higher your income, the more likely you are to purchase things online). If you enter "0" on that line, it gets red-flagged, and you are more likely to be audited.