Earlier this week, the Niagara USA Chamber held a forum at the Power Vista at Niagara Power Project in Lewiston to discuss ways to reduce costs for local businesses and make New York State a more competitive place to own and operate a company.
Mandate relief is an important issue to me because unfunded mandates are the cost-drivers that have resulted in New York homeowners paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation. Unfunded state mandates have a severe impact on our small businesses, school districts and local governments.
All across the state our communities are being hit with unfunded mandates that put pressure on property taxpayers and local job creators. These mandates not only suck up diminishing local resources, they also place additional burdens on job creators. These unnecessary Albany rules and burdensome requirements are burying us under 49,000 pages of fiscally irresponsible state mandates.
That’s why I’ve joined my fellow lawmakers in Albany in supporting legislation to repeal the Wage Theft Prevention Act’s notice requirement, eliminate the unemployment surcharge and end other business-crushing mandates to help promote job growth.
I applaud the efforts of the Niagara USA Chamber and all the panelists at the event for shedding more light on this issue. I urge my colleagues to work together in this final week of session to pass unfunded mandate relief for small businesses and send the message that New York State is, indeed, open for business.
John Ceretto
Member of the Assembly
138th District