On January 16th, Governor Cuomo presented his budget for state fiscal year 2018-19. Much of his presentation focused on the impact that federal tax reform will have on New York State. “Washington hit a button and launched an economic missile and its says ‘New York’ on it and it’s headed our way,” he remarked.
Overall, the Governor’s budget holds state spending to under 2%, except for increases in the overall appropriations for education and health. Additionally, the Governor laid out several proposals, including instituting a payroll tax and creating several non-profits, as possible vehicles to lessen the impact of Washington’s tax proposals.
The Governor also proposed several procurement reforms as part of his budget. These include: clarifying the State Inspector General’s authority over state procurements; establishment of a New York State Chief Procurement Officer to serve as the “principal officer tasked with oversight of state procurements”; and, prohibiting campaign contributions from persons or organizations holding state government contracts.
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