Watching state government in action year after year is sort of like viewing the film “Groundhog Day,” in which the lead character is forced to relive the same day over and over.
In Albany, we get to see the same unresolved story lines repeated every year. From the three-men-in-a-room budget process to the end-of-session blame game in which each legislative house claims the other held up progress, much of what goes on can be predicted.
A more specific example can be found with the collection of tobacco sales taxes from Indian-owned retail outlets. Indian-owned retailers have refused to collect the sales taxes, arguing sovereign rights. That argument, however, should only apply to sales to Indian customers. Courts have backed this premise up.
As a result, each year some piece of state legislation moves through with the promise that this one closes all the loopholes and will be easy to enforce. It then sits on the desk of the governor's office, which typically hedges on making any public statements that would anger either side of the issue. In the end, the governor either quietly vetoes the bill or, if he does sign it, fails to implement regulations to enforce it.
Then we roll around to another year and the process plays out again.
We're at the point once again this year of waiting for the governor, but this time the man leading the executive branch finds himself in a unique position. Gov. David Paterson this summer has wisely been pushing for spending cuts to close the state's budget gaps, a problem fueled on by rapidly dwindling revenues. The governor has even called legislators back for a special session on the issue this week.
If Paterson fails to sign this legislation and to work quickly to put it into effect, he'll be sending a terribly mixed message about his commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Some estimates have said that by actually collecting these sales taxes, the state could gain $400 million in revenues. The executive budget actually figures in $120 million, still a substantial amount of money.
At a time when New York needs to turn over every couch cushion in the Capitol to find needed revenue, this measure should be a no-brainer.
A more specific example can be found with the collection of tobacco sales taxes from Indian-owned retail outlets. Indian-owned retailers have refused to collect the sales taxes, arguing sovereign rights. That argument, however, should only apply to sales to Indian customers. Courts have backed this premise up.
As a result, each year some piece of state legislation moves through with the promise that this one closes all the loopholes and will be easy to enforce. It then sits on the desk of the governor's office, which typically hedges on making any public statements that would anger either side of the issue. In the end, the governor either quietly vetoes the bill or, if he does sign it, fails to implement regulations to enforce it.
Then we roll around to another year and the process plays out again.
We're at the point once again this year of waiting for the governor, but this time the man leading the executive branch finds himself in a unique position. Gov. David Paterson this summer has wisely been pushing for spending cuts to close the state's budget gaps, a problem fueled on by rapidly dwindling revenues. The governor has even called legislators back for a special session on the issue this week.
If Paterson fails to sign this legislation and to work quickly to put it into effect, he'll be sending a terribly mixed message about his commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Some estimates have said that by actually collecting these sales taxes, the state could gain $400 million in revenues. The executive budget actually figures in $120 million, still a substantial amount of money.
At a time when New York needs to turn over every couch cushion in the Capitol to find needed revenue, this measure should be a no-brainer.
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