State Sen. Tom O’Mara is using a new report on New York’s tax burden to press for income tax cuts and a cap on state spending.
In a column prepared for the week of Oct. 5, the Big Flats Republican argues that rising state spending is making New York less affordable for residents and businesses. He puts this year’s budget at $277 billion and says spending has grown by more than $108 billion since the 2018-19 fiscal year.
The Citizens Budget Commission’s latest comparison found that New York’s state and local governments collected more taxes per person than those of any other state in fiscal 2024. They ranked second in spending per person. Tax collections were 71% above the national average and 22% higher than in second-place California.
The report measures taxes and spending together across state and local governments. O’Mara points to its findings as support for his argument that state leaders should cut taxes and restrain spending. The commission also called for better public services and greater government efficiency, saying New York needs to deliver more value for what residents pay.
O’Mara’s preferred approach is the Senate Republican Conference’s “Keep What You Have Earned” package. It includes a proposed permanent 2% cap on annual state spending growth and a phased income tax cut.
Under Senate Bill S9110, which O’Mara co-sponsors, the first $50,000 of income for single filers and $100,000 for joint filers would eventually be exempt from state income tax. O’Mara describes the plan as providing $37 billion in relief; the bill’s sponsor memo estimates a roughly $35 billion tax cut when fully implemented. The bill remains in a Senate committee.
O’Mara also backs legislation he sponsors to lower taxes for qualifying small businesses and farms. Other proposals in the Republican package would shift local Medicaid costs to the state over 10 years and freeze property taxes for three years.
The column presents those measures as an alternative to the spending policies O’Mara attributes to Democratic leaders. None of the proposals he cites has been enacted.
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