"There is much to commend in the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) report, 'Local Taxes in New York: Easing the Burden,' that was unveiled earlier today. Some of its recommendations echo what our Assembly Minority Conference has called for. The CBC got it right when it said that 'New York's tax burden is high and inequitable' - and pointed to the cause-and-effect connection between oppressive state mandates like Medicaid, and excessive local tax burdens. Especially important was the report's acknowledgment that the local tax burden between upstate and downstate is inequitable and downright unfair, as upstate residents pay tax rates that are 45 percent higher than downstate. Is it any wonder why nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers have moved to other states since 2000? I commend the CBC report to anyone who mistakenly thinks state government has a 'revenue problem.' It doesn't - it has a mandate and spending problem. During the previous Legislative session, our Conference called for enactment of a property tax cap. The CBC's presentation - and conclusions - further fuels the argument that capping property taxes is an idea whose time has arrived. Hopefully, Governor Spitzer will call for a tax cap and reining in Medicaid costs in his forthcoming State of the State Address."