An Open Letter To Governor Andrew Cuomo

Dear Sir,
While I readily commend your efforts to work with the Republicans of New York’s State Legislature with regard to spending cuts and caps on property tax increases, these measures, though prudent, do not sufficiently address the primary causes of New York’s mounting public debt. It is my intention, as well as those of the cosigners of this letter, to offer you an overview of what we, of the Eastern Smithtown Republican Club believe to be the surest path to our state’s economic redemption. An active display of government leadership is essential to the achievement of this goal and you sir, as leader of the Empire State, must assume this role.

First and foremost, no state can produce significant revenue without an expansive and flourishing tax-base. New York State’s loss of revenue as a result of migration over the course of the past decade is astonishing to say the least, and is largely responsible for the growing debt that presently riddles our state.

It is up to you, Governor Cuomo, to offer an honest assessment and a sober contemplation of the roots of our citizens’ discontent. After all, New York is surely one of the greatest states within our union, so why are droves of people leaving? Manhattan and its suburbs of Long Island, with robust traditions of commerce and stellar reputations for ingenuity, have long been the envy of other states, yet vast numbers of businesses have continually been fleeing these locations. Why have states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Texas suddenly become so attractive to countless numbers of former New York residents? The overwhelming majority of problems presently facing New York may all be attributed to one simple, yet pervasive word - Taxes.

With the highest top marginal individual and corporate tax-rates in the nation, New York’s citizenry can no longer afford to live in the state which they love for its rich traditions of commerce and trade, yet despise for its debilitating and convoluted government policies. With state payroll taxes, gas and energy taxes, capital gains taxes, property taxes and sales taxes among the highest in America, New York’s corporations and small business owners have given up faith in the state that once represented, and in fact contributed to, the making of the American Dream.

In short Governor, in reaction to the extraordinary burdens placed upon the populace through excessive taxation and regulation, New Yorkers and the businesses they own are presently seeking refuge elsewhere. And with them go their property taxes, their sales taxes, their income taxes and their payroll taxes. With them go the jobs they once created, their capital for reinvestment and their proclivity for commerce and trade.

Governor Cuomo, we implore you to take a leap of faith in the American system of free enterprise and competitive economics, and to cut the chains now binding New Yorkers to what has essentially become a state-sponsored economy. The implementation of across the board tax-cuts at roughly 15% of current levels is all that is necessary for you to regain a thriving population, to keep your constituents within the state and to promote their prosperity and wealth. This, in turn, will produce for the state far greater revenue than it has managed to collect in decades. Lower tax rates inevitably lead to growing populations, to more robust economies and to greater business success. This, in turn, will lead to an influx of money within the state and, if coupled with responsible spending, will surely result in a balanced budget and the eventual solution to our state’s vexing problems regarding unfunded liabilities.

Your cautionary measures, Governor, regarding new tax levies and spending have been admirable, if not remarkable. However, now is the time to take positive action and to create a climate for economic growth via free and competitive commerce. Lessen the tax-burden on our citizenry, and allow your constituents a chance to prove the innate ingenuity and exceptional resource of New York’s populace when unencumbered by the excesses of the state.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Pitcoff