Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Tax Cap Dead, Unions Happy

Predictably, the public employee unions that benefit the most from New York's ever soaring tax load don't much like the proposed cap on local property taxes. And when they talk, Albany listens:

A proposed property tax cap supported by Gov. David Paterson, his expert tax-relief commission, and 72 percent of New Yorkers isn't likely to even reach the floor of the Legislature this session.

Powerful labor unions joined New York's teachers' unions Tuesday to kill the proposed limit on the growth of local property taxes. They say it would hurt schools despite record state aid increases, more than 70 percent of which pays for the salaries and benefits of those fighting the cap.

The school officials, advocates and union leaders say the cap would hurt classroom instruction and slow some recent progress improving student performance.


I'm not sure which is more disturbing- the fact that unions effectively control the state's legislative agenda or the disturbing way that no one even bothers to deny it anymore.