Assemblyman Al Graf (R,C,I-Holbrook) recently attended a press conference calling for the elimination of an energy tax on home and business owners. The 18-a assessment, enacted in 2009, was set to expire this year before the governor proposed extending the charge for another five years in his Executive Budget. Should the temporary fee be reinstated, it would add $2.5 billion onto consumer energy bills over the next five years.
“As skyrocketing utility costs continue to hurt Long Island’s families and damage our local economy, the extension of this energy tax could not come at a worse time,” said Graf. “This surcharge is a major blow to job creators, but it also drives up the cost of living for residents who are already struggling to make ends meet. We cannot claim that New York’s economy is on the rebound if we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past. This tax must sunset as planned in order to create jobs and deliver cost relief for Long Islanders.”
In attendance at the press conference were a number of Graf’s legislative colleagues as well as representatives from the Business Council of New York State, Inc., Manufacturers Association of Central New York, National Federation of Independent Business, Unshackle Upstate and the New York Farm Bureau.