Endorsements

"Day one will mark the beginning of the end for the vicious property tax cycle that is driving so many families and businesses away from this state. We will provide relief; we will restore fairness; and we will bring transparency and accountability back to the tax system of New York. ... Day one is when we fully fund education."
— Eliot Spitzer, Democratic Convention, May 2006

"Property tax is the wrong way to finance education. It's time for a change. The income tax would broaden the base of those who pay and fund schools based on taxpayers' ability to pay."
— Senator John Bonacic, Task Force Public Hearing, September 2005

Association of Towns resolves to "support property tax reform."
— The Association, enacted February 2006

"District residents have made clear that high property taxes are one of their biggest concerns, and that the welfare of homeowners is jeopardized by the rapid increase in the costs of public education."
— Rondout Valley (Hudson Valley) Board of Education, November 2006

"The means for raising money to provide all New York's students with a sound basic education should be progressive, with those most able to pay paying at a higher rate."
— NY League of Women Voters, October 2006

"We support the concept of shifting the burden of school taxes away from property taxes to an equitable income tax based formula with the lottery monies going to fund education for grades K-12."
– New York State Farm Bureau, September 2005

"The magnitude of the property tax, its visibility and its recent growth have all brought considerable pressure to bear on state policy makers to provide relief."
— Office of the NYS Comptroller, April 2006

"Property taxes are generally regressive, and relying on local property taxes to fund education can create unfair disparities between poor and wealthy districts. ...The personal income tax can be -- and usually is -- the fairest tax ... it provides an important counterbalance to regressive sales, excise and property taxes."
— Institute on Taxation and Education Policy, February 2005

"The STAR program, once beneficial, has not worked the way it was intended. The tax credit enacted this year, while modestly helpful, is not a solution. We do not need more tinkering with STAR. We do not need a band-aid approach. We need fundamental change."
— Senator John Bonacic, June 2006