Archive: Opinions

Anecdotally I have thought that the Comptroller's Office has done a decent job of monitoring the taxing authorities in New York and addressing abuses.  But a recent analysis of the best and worst states for taxpayers' Return On Investment (ROI) has me wondering.  A new Wallethub analysis shows New York ranks 47 out of 50 on the ROI scale.  That's bad.  We're paying more and getting less.

I don't suppose it should come as a surprise.  Look at East Shore Drive -- the State's idea of maintaining the road is filling in the worst pot holes and putting up a "Rough Road" sign.  That may qualify as road repairs by state standards, but try telling that to my car's suspension.

The federal government doesn't rank well either.  According to Pew Research, two out of every five federal taxpayers think they are paying too much.  The majority of those surveyed said corporations and wealthy people don't pay their fair share, and many complained that the tax system is too complicated.  Only 53% felt they pay the 'right amount' of taxes.  Almost 60% said the government should start from scratch to develop a new tax system, because there is too much wrong with the current one to fix it.  And a Gallop Poll found that most Americans fell that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every dollar it spends.

New York ranked in the bottom five for hospital systems, water quality, and roads and bridges.  But it isn't entirely bad news.  The state ranked right in the middle -- 24 out of 50 -- in overall government services.  New York ranked 32 in education,    6 in health,     10 in safety, 31 in economy, and 50 in infrastructure and pollution.  But the state ranked 43rd in taxes, meaning we pay more for middling services.

This puts into perspective all the political chat about providing relief for taxpayers.  I haven't noticed any serious relief from property taxes, for example.  The so-called 2% tax cap on the property tax levy hasn't lowered taxes, and it has been implemented in a way that must be costing the state a fortune in refund checks.

What really needs to happen is a serious reduction of state mandates, followed by a serious audit of taxing authorities to make sure taxes are reduced in a way that relates to their savings once unfunded mandates are removed.

That is as likely to happen as the flat tax.

So the smart thing to do is move to New Hampshire, which ranked #1 in taxpayer ROI.

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