ALBANY - Senate Republicans, feeling pressure from a Democratic governor, business and taxpayer groups, opinion polls and voters, are moving closer to supporting a property tax cap despite strong opposition by powerful unions.
“If we get a bill, we'll probably pass it,” Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday.
The Republican had opposed Gov. David Paterson's proposal to cap property taxes at 4 percent since the Democratic governor made the proposal two weeks ago.
Instead, Bruno had resurrected a year-old Senate GOP proposal to allow for the potential phasing out of school taxes - the biggest property tax - at the option of school districts. That proposal has gained no support in the Assembly's Democratic majority and appeared doomed to inaction again this year.
“We think cuts are better than caps,” Bruno said as recently as Wednesday night.
On Thursday, he warmed to curbing taxes if he couldn't end them. “What we're looking for is getting something in place that if you can't reduce property taxes, at least you can control the escalation,” Bruno said. “We want to do whatever there is we can do to help control escalating property taxes.”
Republican senators will face the biggest challenge yet to their decades-old majority in the fall elections.
The GOP majority's rival, Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith of Queens, has already supported a tax cap and wants it even tougher - 2 percent with no chance for an override by local voters.
Bruno's comments could put pressure on members of the Assembly's Democratic majority, some of whom represent districts with some of the nation's highest property taxes and would have preferred to avoid a vote on the cap.
The cap is opposed by their leader, Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan, who insists it must include a guarantee that schools will get replacement funding from the state.
“I would say we're close,” Paterson said Thursday.
Rank-and-file Assembly Democrats, however, said Thursday that their conference's view hasn't changed.
But their position has changed. Now the Assembly Democrats appear to be the lone, solid opposition to Paterson's tax cap after Bruno's comments, Smith's position and the support of Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco who wore a “tax cap” baseball cap at Wednesday night's news conference. A Siena College poll on Monday found Paterson's cap was supported by 74 percent of New York voters.
The opposition is led by the powerful New York State United Teachers union, one of Albany biggest lobbying forces and a top campaign contributor.
The Republican had opposed Gov. David Paterson's proposal to cap property taxes at 4 percent since the Democratic governor made the proposal two weeks ago.
Instead, Bruno had resurrected a year-old Senate GOP proposal to allow for the potential phasing out of school taxes - the biggest property tax - at the option of school districts. That proposal has gained no support in the Assembly's Democratic majority and appeared doomed to inaction again this year.
“We think cuts are better than caps,” Bruno said as recently as Wednesday night.
On Thursday, he warmed to curbing taxes if he couldn't end them. “What we're looking for is getting something in place that if you can't reduce property taxes, at least you can control the escalation,” Bruno said. “We want to do whatever there is we can do to help control escalating property taxes.”
Republican senators will face the biggest challenge yet to their decades-old majority in the fall elections.
The GOP majority's rival, Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith of Queens, has already supported a tax cap and wants it even tougher - 2 percent with no chance for an override by local voters.
Bruno's comments could put pressure on members of the Assembly's Democratic majority, some of whom represent districts with some of the nation's highest property taxes and would have preferred to avoid a vote on the cap.
The cap is opposed by their leader, Speaker Sheldon Silver of Manhattan, who insists it must include a guarantee that schools will get replacement funding from the state.
“I would say we're close,” Paterson said Thursday.
Rank-and-file Assembly Democrats, however, said Thursday that their conference's view hasn't changed.
But their position has changed. Now the Assembly Democrats appear to be the lone, solid opposition to Paterson's tax cap after Bruno's comments, Smith's position and the support of Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco who wore a “tax cap” baseball cap at Wednesday night's news conference. A Siena College poll on Monday found Paterson's cap was supported by 74 percent of New York voters.
The opposition is led by the powerful New York State United Teachers union, one of Albany biggest lobbying forces and a top campaign contributor.
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