High taxes, coupled with a historic recession and a shrinking job market, are suffocating middle-class families. Now is not the time to even consider saddling struggling families with any new taxes and fees. That's why I'm committed to fighting any proposal that would unfairly burden working families.

Last year I stood up against taxes and fees that would have nickel-and-dimed the middle class, including a higher tax on gasoline and a $15 surcharge on car insurance policies statewide and I'm happy to say that we were successful in defeating them. This year I continued the fight, pushing to reject costly proposals that would tax everything from cable TV and soda, to gym memberships and haircuts and again, we won by stopping these unfair taxes.

But it's not enough to knock down new taxes. As a former small business owner, I know that real economic recovery starts with tax cuts for working families. That's why I strongly support a circuit breaker type tax cap that would cap the amount of property taxes a homeowner pays based on income. This would offer immediate relief to those hit hardest - middle-class families and seniors on fixed incomes burdened with unreasonably high taxes.

I'm also exploring options to rein in runaway spending and tackle ever-increasing school budgets, including a proposal that would limit the growth of school district tax assessments. But we must ensure this doesn't come at the expense of our children, which is why I'll continue fighting to deliver state dollars to our classrooms.

We were also successful in instating the so-called millionaire's tax in this years budget to update our outdated income tax system. Previously, families with $40,000 incomes paid the same tax rate as individuals earning $40 million a year! I think that's unfair. New York's wealthiest will now be asked to pay a little more so we can keep our commitment to lowering taxes for the middle-class and protecting our most vulnerable citizens, even during these tough economic times.

Over the coming months, I will continue pushing for more relief for the middle-class and working-families. The time for petty arguments and party disputes is over. Central New York families need real tax relief, and they need it now. In the months ahead, I'll continue working to see that they get it.