June 18, 2008

Senate 'plan' to eliminate local school tax underscores need for real reform, Tonello says

ELMIRA -- A one-house bill passed by the New York State Senate this week that seeks to allow local school districts to replace local property taxes with additional state aid will do nothing to ease the burden on taxpayers and underscores the need for true reform in Albany, said John Tonello, candidate for the 53rd District senate seat.

"This perennial posturing must end if we want New York to move forward," Tonello said. "This is precisely why I'm running for state senate."

By an overwhelming majority, the senate passed a bill that provides incumbents with talking points, but no relief to the problems New Yorkers face, Tonello said. "These end-of-session gimmicks are an insult to taxpayers who tell me they're tired of these games and want real solutions," Tonello said.

The senate plan would cost state taxpayers $2.34 billion a year and $11.7 billion over five years if voters in all the state's school districts took advantage of the program proposed by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Saratoga Springs, and supported by most senators, including George Winner Jr., R-Elmira.

"Sen. Bruno and the bill's supporters have no plan to pay for it, no plan to get the Assembly and governor on board, and no hope of passing comprehensive legislation that eases the burden on taxpayers at any level," Tonello said. "This is just another hollow gesture aimed at garnering votes, not at providing relief."

Tonello said such one-house bills are why New York's legislature has earned the distinction as the most dysfunctional in the nation. The tax-cap proposition supported by 74 percent of New Yorkers and Gov. Paterson underscores taxpayers' desire for true reform, something the senate bill avoids, he added.

"We must help school districts control costs through mandate relief and spending targets, and we must ensure tax dollars make it to our classrooms where they're needed most," said Tonello, the second-term mayor of the City of Elmira. "State efforts should encourage responsible spending, not provide cover for waste."

The vote-grabbing nature of the senate proposal is highlighted by the fact that only residential property owners, not commercial properties or businesses, would benefit. "I believe everyone deserves tax relief. If we want to keep business in New York, we have to offer businesses – which cannot pull a lever – relief from high school taxes, too," Tonello said.