PRIVATE For an Additional State Tax Bracket

                                                                              

     WHEREAS, the huge deficit introduced by Ronald Reagan and continued by George Bush is a disaster, not only for the present time, but for future generations of Americans, 

            WHEREAS, the Reagan and Bush administrations have dramatically and unfairly shifted the tax burden from upper income tax payers to middle and lower income tax payers, and

            WHEREAS, the excessive cuts in federal taxes for the wealthiest taxpayers has left the nation with a permanent structural imbalance in the budget and put undue pressure on states and localities to raise their taxes,  and 

            WHEREAS, the substantial reductions made in personal income tax rates in the State of New York in the 1980's have left our State with insufficient revenues to maintain essential services in the present more difficult economic climate and threaten to leave the state budget in permanent structural imbalance, and 

            WHEREAS, excessive cuts in state spending would put undue pressure on local governments to raise their taxes, and 

            WHEREAS, state and local programs in education, health care, housing, transportation and infrastructure maintenance are necessary for the well being of our citizens and for the economic growth and development of our state and communities, and 

            WHEREAS, our neighboring state of New Jersey has recently raised personal income tax rates, and the Governor of Connecticut has proposed a personal income tax and a reduction of sales taxes, lessening any competitive disadvantage to restoring some of the cuts previously made in New York's income tax rates, and 

            WHEREAS, the Democratic Party has by tradition and principle stood for progressive taxes as the fairest and most equitable source of government revenues, 

            IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the New York State Democratic Committee calls for the introduction of an additional tax bracket for the highest income taxpayers, so the federal budget may be brought closer to balance and adequate aid given to state and local governments, and 

            IT IS HEREBY FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Committee further calls for a restructuring of New York State taxes in the present and future budgets to increase taxes on the wealthiest taxpayers and produce sufficient revenues to maintain essential services, while lessening reliance on regressive taxes such as the sales tax. 

     Resolution written and introduced by Lawrence C. Moss, adopted by the Reform Caucus of the NY Democratic State Committee, but Tabled by vote at the meeting of the NY Democratic State Committee,  May 1991.