Finch: Start-Up NY And Excelsior Leave Questions, But Action Must Be Taken

Statement by Assemblyman Gary D. Finch (R,C,I-Springport)

June 21, 2013

It’s indisputably clear that things need to change in New York State to create jobs, put people back to work and move our economy back onto the path to prosperity. Nowhere is this reality more evident than upstate, where the need for jobs is painstakingly obvious. To do so, we need to relieve the burdens on our small businesses and new entrepreneurs who are seeking to create jobs and expand, but are hamstrung by an overly zealous regulatory structure.

Recognizing the need for action, I have cast my vote in favor of the START-UP NY and Excelsior Jobs programs. I do feel there are problems with the START-UP NY program, however; the provision removing income taxes for new businesses and their employees will subsequently cause their tax burdens to fall on the backs of the other taxpayers and existing businesses of New York. Despite this concern, I’m optimistic about its potential ability to succeed. Binghamton University has applied this start-up methodology to fairly good effect in recent years, and I hope the same will happen in other areas for the sake of resuscitating our economy. Fortunately, the Excelsior program does cast a more inclusive net of tax credits for our existing businesses, which will also play a pivotal role in reviving our economy.

In this vein of thought, I believe one of the most effective ways we can help our economy grow is through pairing education with practical job training. If the START-UP NY program allowed all businesses, new and existing, and new types of industries, such as the ever-expanding high-tech industry, to work together and develop the workforce needed to renovate our economy, we could far more cogently put New Yorkers back to work and revitalize our state.

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