I understand that Mr. Scavo, like every politician running for office, promises to cut property taxes. But he doesn't seem to suggest how he plans to do that - other than help individuals challenge their property tax assessments.
Here is David Lussier's plan for cutting taxes.
Cut Waste and Graft. Too many tax dollars are wasted are costly overruns like the County Courthouse renovation. Contracts should be given to the best lowest bidder, not political friends and campaign contributors.
Lower Costs through bulk purchasing. Government at all levels should save money by combining their purchasing power to get deeper discounts. Start with prescription drugs in the Medicaid program.
Give Albany City its Fair Share of Sales Tax Revenue. More out-of-city residents (65,000) work in Albany in the day than in any other similar sized city in the country. This means our city property taxes are going to pay for increased services like police and fire protection. The City of Albany should get a higher share of the county sales tax distribution to reflect this.
More Aggressive Tax Collection from Absentee Landlords. The County must be more aggressive in going after absentee landlords. The huge number (800 plus) of vacant houses in the City shifts more of the tax burden on the rest of us. We also need a speculator tax to go after the increasing number of national investors who just buy houses in Albany to "flip" them for
a big profit in a few years.
Lower Electric Bills. At a minimum, the County should save money by bulk purchasing electricity for all government buildings. More than 50 communities in NY - such as Green Island - save lots of money through a municipal power system that includes residents and businesses, making it easier to attract jobs. So-called "energy deregulation" has made it easier for counties to do this.
Hire More County Child Support Collection staff. It is very cost effective for the county to go after deadbeat parents who fail to take financial responsibility for their children. It generates both increased tax revenues and reduced social service costs.
Lower Medicaid Costs by Helping Seniors Stay in their Own Homes. Medicaid costs are rising so rapidly because we are paying for more senior citizens to live in expensive nursing homes. Investing in services to help seniors stay in their own home would improve their quality of live while saving lots of tax dollars.
Make the State Pay its Legal Tax Share to the City. Governor Rockefeller understood that NY's antiquated system of local government was placing undue tax burdens on upstate cities, especially with suburban sprawl and a high percentage of tax-free property in cities (e.g., government buildings, schools, etc.) He enacted Sec. 54 of the State Finance Law to provide 8% of the state's tax revenues to local governments, primarily cities. Yet state lawmakers are only given the city 25 cents for every dollar they owe.
State Tax Fairness. Stop the Tax Shift. A young family making $30,000 a year now pays the same tax rate in state income taxes as Donald Trump. Over the last 30 years, state lawmakers have made the income tax a "flat tax", while shifting more of the tax burden onto regressive local property and sales tax. Going back to the state tax system of 30 years ago would give 95% of us a tax cut - while raising nearly $8 billion annually in more revenues.
Lower Health Care Costs. NYS is now considering how to provide a universal health care system. Dave supports a Medicare for All type program, saving NY as much as $20 billion a year by eliminating the waste and cost of private health insurance. By provide quality health care to all NYers, we would save money in workers' comp, auto insurance and medical malpractice costs.
Enact Accountability Standards for Corporate Tax Giveaways. New York's counties and state government give billions of our county and school tax dollars away annually as "economic development". Yet there is little oversight to ensure that jobs are being created. We need strict performance standards and reporting requirements.. Companies that fail to create the promised jobs must return our tax dollars.
