Seneca Nation Calls On New York State Leadership To Fix State Economic Problems
Oct 30 05:04 PM US/Eastern
Mass Exodus of State Population Costing Billions in Lost Tax Revenue
CATTARAUGUS TERRITORY, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Seneca Nation of Indians President Barry E. Snyder, Sr. today cited a just-released report from a New York City-based think tank which found more than 1.5 million state residents migrated to other states from 2000 to 2008, the largest exodus of any state in the nation.
The Manhattan Institute's Empire Center for New York State Policy blamed high tax rates as the primary driver for migration by eight percent of the state's population. During the 1990s, New York lost 1.7 million people to other states. In 2006-07 alone, the migration flow out of New York drained $4.3 billion in taxpayer income from the state.
The population loss report comes as New York State is facing a projected $3.2 billion deficit and some state lawmakers have renewed efforts to collect taxes on Native American tobacco sales to help plug the impending budget gap.
"The State is trying to solve its budget problems on our backs, when the real problem is not bootlegging or fewer smokers, but FEWER NEW YORKERS," President Snyder said.
"We find it ironic that the State doesn't complain when we create economic development opportunities that generate thousands of good paying jobs for its residents and write them checks for millions of dollars in gaming revenue. The Seneca Nation is one economic bright spot that New York State has. Instead of trying to continually break us down, they should be trying to figure out new ways to work together."
In testimony before the State Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations on Oct. 27 regarding potential sales tax collections, the Seneca Nation noted it has contributed more than $1.1 billion to the State economy via its tobacco, motor fuel and gaming industries.
The Nation has grown to become the fifth largest employer in Western New York, providing jobs for some 6,300 persons through its government, gaming and hospitality, gasoline and tobacco retailing and emerging private sector ventures. Hundreds of those jobs are held by non-Senecas.
The Nation's tobacco and motor fuel business segment, which generated an estimated $313 million for the Nation in 2007, contributed nearly $200 million in spin-off dollars to the State economy.
"State lawmakers should be focused on fixing New York's real problems: overspending, bloated government, high tax rates and lack of economic development investment," President Snyder said. "Instead, they are wasting taxpayer time and money by looking for ways to break federal treaties which protect the rights of the Seneca Nation and other tribes within New York State."
The Empire Center report, released Oct. 28, found New York lost more residents between 2000 and 2008 than any other state. The departures have perilous budget consequences, since they tend to include residents who are better off than those arriving.
The report concluded New York's state and local tax burdens, perennially ranked among the heaviest in the country, are the key culprit in the "I Leave New York" trend among middle-class residents.
Taxes aside, likely explanations differ regionally, according to the study. Downstate residents face high taxes and housing costs rated among the most "severely unaffordable" in the world. Land-use regulations in downstate New York also tend to inhibit growth. In upstate New York, housing is relatively inexpensive but even more heavily taxed, and new economic opportunities have been scarce. Media Contact: Sue Asquith - 716-842-2222 ext. 324 sasquith@traverscollins.com Travers Collins & Company
SOURCE Seneca Nation of Indians |
