Do we need a “millionaire’s tax” to solve New York’s budget crisis? Advocates of the tax say we do because New York doesn’t make the rich pay their fair share.
Opponents say that is not true and counter that hiking taxes on the very wealthy will only cause them to move out of state, depriving Albany of hundreds of millions, if not billions in tax revenue.

So who’s right? Get Real cuts through the crap and tells the truth:

New York State taxes are too regressive meaning the rich don’t pay their fair …

New York’s budget hole is huge and growing as Governor Patterson reminded us all on Wednesday but if you want to see how bad things can get, go west.
As the LA Times lays out in painful detail, California’s budget woes are much worse than ours. New York faces a $14 billion gap this coming budget year while California’s deficit is $42 billion over the next 15 months.
Paterson has repeatedly warned that if Albany’s legislative leaders don’t agree to structural spending changes New York “might end up like California.” Here’s what …

There’s really nothing quite so annoying (aside from your boss) as Albany’s A-team proclaiming themselves “great” leaders for solving some terrible crisis or another when they in fact do nothing of the sort.
Today’s episode features absurd statements from Democrats and Republicans alike after the Democratic majorities of the Assembly and State Senate reached an agreement with the Democratic Governor to close a $1.6 billion gap in the current budget (which ends in less than two months).
The agreement essentially avoids almost any of hard choices by using more than $630 million …

While we all wait to see exactly what the US Senate comes up with for it’s version of the stimulus package it seems certain that the total amount will easily blow way past the $819 billion House plan which passed Wednesday. So what will it mean for New York? Especially the state government which is facing a $15.4 billion budget gap?And what about New York City where Mayor Bloomberg is unveiling his doomsday budget today?
Monetarily Sen. Chuck Schumer calculates the state and cities will get roughly $15 billion over the …