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Cuomo Compares His Opposition To "Millionaire's Tax" To His Father's Death Penalty Stance
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 18, 2011
Modified Oct 18, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 18, 2011
Modified Oct 18, 2011
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It doesn't matter if 72% of New York voters want the "Millionaire's Tax" reinstated, Governor Cuomo doesn't necessarily care what you people think. "The fact that everybody wants it, that doesn't mean all that much," Cuomo told the Times at a press conference. The governor also noted that his father opposed the death penalty when many voters supported it. “Reporters would say, ‘Well, people want it,’” Cuomo said. “And the point was, you know, we don’t elect—you can’t just have as a governor a big poll-taking machine, right? And we take a poll, and whatever the poll says, that’s what we do." Except when we're talking casinos.
While it's laudable for the governor to stick to his convictions, those convictions may not be based on sound assumptions. Cuomo has cited rich-person flight as a reason for not extending the tax, but the data does not bear this out. He also points to the fact that the tax actually affects singles who make $200K a year, and couples who earn $300K.
But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is proposing that the tax be amended to include only those who make $1 million or more. New York is projected to have a $2.4 billion budget deficit next year, and this tax would generate an estimated $4 billion. Thanks to the Occupy Wall Street protests, more attention is being paid to the tax battle. "They're forcing us to have a very necessary conversation," Brooklyn Assemblyman Karim Camara says.
Tagged
Albany
andrew cuomo
governor cuomo
millionaires tax
rich people
tax the wealthy
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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