ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) — GOP lawmakers have found some issues in the Governor’s $227 billion budget proposal. They say it could worsen the affordability crisis in New York causing more people to leave. From 2021 to 2022, 180,000 people left New York State. 

“The single biggest threat to the state of New York, is the outmigration of our human capital, it’s the loss of the future generations of workers, investors, of employers, taxpayers,” said Senate Minority Leader, Robert Ortt. Some lawmakers say the high migration rates are due to heavy taxes placed on businesses.

Senator George Borrello says those high taxes were caused by at least $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits. “Every small business owner, every business owner in New York State, every farmer is now paying the maximum rates, $200 per employee because of the mismanagement of this fund,” he said. Borrello said this is criminal negligence from the Department of Labor and former Governor Andrew Cuomo. To help these businesses they’re proposing an unemployment insurance solvency fund. “The Governor has over $8 billion in surplus, that’s about what we need to fill that hole, and we need to stabilize this for the future. Who wants to come to New York and do business?” asked Borrello.

Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick wants to enhance Medicaid funding which comes from the federal government and requires the Governor give at least 20% to local governments, but she says the budget proposal would repeal that. “Medicaid is the largest burden on our county governments financially, and to pull back this money without replacing, it is really going to burden our governments,” she said. The Senator is asking that this be put back into the budget .”If this money is not pushed down to the counties, they will have to cover other necessary services, other things that the county does for us will be cut, and it just creates another burden on county governments,” she said.

Senator Bill Weber says the Governor’s budget proposal includes a problematic 46% increase in the MTA transfer mobility tax, “The mobility tax should be repealed entirely,” he said. Weber said this would costs average commuters $5000 a year and they need to do an in depth review of MTA financial practices.