NY State Budget Deal: Big Tax Cut for Yacht Owners 

There’s no tax credit for yeshivah parents or property tax relief, but New York lawmakers did insert a tax cut for luxury yachts in this year’s state budget agreement, the details of which emerged Monday just as lawmakers prepared to vote.

Cuomo and top lawmakers hailed the $142 billion spending agreement when they announced it late Sunday night. It includes $1.4 billion in new funds for public schools, along with plans to revise teacher evaluations and require lawmakers to disclose more about their outside income — though the new disclosure rules would have big exemptions for lawyers in the Legislature who say their clients have little connection to state government.

Other big items were left out of the budget. Democrats wanted a minimum wage increase, juvenile justice reforms and the Dream Act, which would extend financial aid to students in the country illegally. Senate Republicans had pushed for an education tax credit and property tax relief.

One small item in the massive spending bill received little attention until it emerged Monday: a proposal to impose sales tax on only the first $230,000 of a boat’s value. The sale of private general aviation planes would also be exempt from the sales tax.

“I guess a rising tide lifts all yachts,” said Ron Deutsch, executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute. “It’s a sad commentary. You’ve got struggling homeowners out there and yet somehow we’re more concerned about the owners of yachts.”

Lawmakers expected to pass the budget by late Tuesday, before the state’s new fiscal year begins Wednesday.

Ethics and education reform were the two greatest points of contention ironed out by Cuomo and the top lawmakers who negotiated the agreement. In the end, Cuomo won some concessions but saw many of his proposals significantly modified.

Cuomo had wanted lawmakers to revise teacher evaluations to put greater emphasis on student test performance. Under the agreement, the State Education Department will oversee the changes. A proposal to make it easier to dismiss ineffective teachers is in the budget, along with a modified version of Cuomo’s plan to allow the state to take over failing schools. A push to authorize more charter schools was left out.

The governor’s education reforms touched off a contentious fight with teachers unions but both sides declared victory following the budget agreement. Cuomo called the reforms “a complete overhaul” while New York State United Teachers President Karen Magee said “the governor’s agenda to try to bully changes in education has been pushed back.”

On ethics, the budget agreement includes a requirement that lawmakers report income from outside jobs, and a rule that lawyers in the Legislature must identify their clients. However, certain types of cases — child custody, wills, criminal law — would be automatically exempt. Lawmakers could also petition the Office of Court Administration to redact the names of clients from the disclosure forms if the client has no tie to state government or pending legislation.

A larger article on the failure to pass the EITC is planned for Wednesday.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the March 31st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.