Leaders of Onondaga, Oneida, and Broome counties endorse Tax- Free NY initiative

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that the Tax-Free NY initiative has the support of several local officials statewide.

Onondaga County Executive Joanne (Joanie) Mahoney, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, and Broome County Executive Debra Preston are among the county leaders endorsing the plan.

Tax-Free NY offers new businesses the chance to operate for up to a decade completely tax free, including no income tax for employees and no sales, property, or business taxes, while partnering with the higher-education institutions in the State University of New York (SUNY), Cuomo’s office said in a May 22 news release.

Tax-Free NY targets all SUNY campuses outside New York City and designated private colleges north of Westchester County will also be tax-free. The zone will include up to 200,000 square feet surrounding a given campus.

“These tax-free communities will encourage high-tech businesses to lay down roots right here in New York, and connecting those companies to our higher-education system is a great way to create lasting jobs in our communities,” Picente said in today’s news release from the governor’s office.

Anything New York can do to reduce taxes and the cost of doing business in this state is “a giant step in the right direction,” Preston said in the same release.

Mahoney also said she is “encouraged” with the proposal.

In addition, the mayors of Utica, Rome, Oswego, Cortland, and Ithaca also offered their support.

The news release didn’t list Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner among those supporting the plan.

But not every organization supports the governor’s initiative.

Governor Cuomo doesn’t get the fact that “more corporate welfare” is no answer to New York’s economic challenges, Danny Donohue, president of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), said in a May 22 news release.

“No amount of TV ads spinning his record can change the reality that his so-called job creation policies have failed. They have mostly benefitted the super-wealthy and big corporations and repeatedly failed to deliver real growth and middle class jobs,” Donahue said in the release.

CSEA is the largest affiliate of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the nation’s largest public-employee union.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com