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Thread: Erie County Sales Tax Rate becomes NYS Highest

  1. #16
    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSense
    I disagree, I think it's the delivery and the guidelines that are at fault. Take for example HEAP, the funds are supposed to be for those who need assistance becuase of a layoff or income is too low. Instead it's doled out to those on public assistance which already get money for utilities through their monthly allocation. Also, if some poor people don't apply they up the income level to allow more people in rather than give us a tax break.

    I think poor people should be assited along with those that are going through tough times (unemployment).

    I haven't mentioned the waste on how the county delivers the money, egad!
    I'm all for helping people out but when your mandated by the state and feds your screwed. Too much is allotted--I'd really love to know the fraud involved. I'd guarentee its at least over 50%. Belmont, food stamps, health insurance, HEAP and other programs add up.
    Peace Out Funky

  2. #17
    Member CSense's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Velvet Fog
    I'm all for helping people out but when your mandated by the state and feds your screwed. Too much is allotted--I'd really love to know the fraud involved. I'd guarentee its at least over 50%. Belmont, food stamps, health insurance, HEAP and other programs add up.
    Let's look at the the mandate. The fed's pay half, the state pays one quarter and the county is to pay one quarter (now capped). We at the county level have the ability to efficiently and effectively delver the"mandated" programs. We (County) have a vested interest to move people off the system yet we have such waste it's disgusting.

    It is not necessarily the programs that are at wasteful it is mostly those that deliver them.

  3. #18
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VegasDude
    Erie County’s sales tax rate will remain at 8.75 percent, New York’s highest now that Oneida County has dropped its rate.
    WHY NO MEDIA COVERAGE ON THE VOTES TO EXTEND SALES TAXES !
    OH WAIT, BUSINESS AS USUALLY,

    Extra penny of sales tax headed for another extension
    By Matthew Spina NEWS STAFF REPORTER
    Updated: 01/25/08 6:51 AM

    County Executive Chris Collins, a Republican, later said he was pleased the tax was extended.

    “Today’s vote is a continuing sign that the days of brazen partisanship are over,” he said in a written statement. “ . . . For those few legislators who still believe that partisan games are the best approach, I am hopeful that they will join the rest of us to help make a real difference for taxpayers.”
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    While it may be too early for him to make a difference, I was disappointed in Chris Collins remarks on this topic. It sounds like he is for it too.

  4. #19
    Member CSense's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    While it may be too early for him to make a difference, I was disappointed in Chris Collins remarks on this topic. It sounds like he is for it too.
    Not sure what 'remark' you are referring too but if it's the penny sales tax, that is just the fiscal reality of the county. Are we to incur an operating debt instead of being fiscally prudent or are you suggesting that we move off the sales tax and add it to taxes or some type of user fees or surcharges?

  5. #20
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSense
    Not sure what 'remark' you are referring too but if it's the penny sales tax, that is just the fiscal reality of the county. Are we to incur an operating debt instead of being fiscally prudent or are you suggesting that we move off the sales tax and add it to taxes or some type of user fees or surcharges?
    I prefaced the post by saying it may have been too early for Collins to do anything, but I would have expected him to say something like he will do all in his power to get rid of this extra penny or that this will be the last year of this additional tax rate. His remark was non-committal.

  6. #21
    Member CSense's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    I prefaced the post by saying it may have been too early for Collins to do anything, but I would have expected him to say something like he will do all in his power to get rid of this extra penny or that this will be the last year of this additional tax rate. His remark was non-committal.
    I agree 100% that he should state his stance (pro/anti) on the whole sales tax issue, however, (as much as I support the removal of the sales tax) I don't think he can make such a statement about the future of the sales tax without more info, time and benefits of cost saving initiatives. I know I wouldn't. I mean, What if he finds more crap that Giambra Effed up and he came out with a promise to cut future sales tax revenue?

  7. #22
    Member run4it's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSense
    I agree 100% that he should state his stance (pro/anti) on the whole sales tax issue, however, (as much as I support the removal of the sales tax) I don't think he can make such a statement about the future of the sales tax without more info, time and benefits of cost saving initiatives. I know I wouldn't. I mean, What if he finds more crap that Giambra Effed up and he came out with a promise to cut future sales tax revenue?
    I saw him on the news last night (I think) and he was talking about the possible surplus we've discovered due to increased retail sales (in context of Canuckans shopping here). He seems pretty cogent on some of the revenues and possible future costs/adjustments we're experiencing in the context of the sales tax.

    This is to say, I'm comfortable that he's on top of the sales tax issue, and look forward to see how he addresses it in the coming couple of years.
    But your being a dick
    ~Wnyresident

  8. #23
    Member knowsitall's Avatar
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    Extra penny

    That "extra penny" adds up to about $130 million I believe. Do you really think the County Executive or County legislature can find those kind of savings? Not in our lifetime. Joel Giambra returned a $30 million surplus to the taxpayers and look what that led to. That $30 million is less than 1/4 of the revenue raised by the 1% additional sales tax....

  9. #24
    Member concernedwnyer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by knowsitall
    That "extra penny" adds up to about $130 million I believe. Do you really think the County Executive or County legislature can find those kind of savings? Not in our lifetime. Joel Giambra returned a $30 million surplus to the taxpayers and look what that led to. That $30 million is less than 1/4 of the revenue raised by the 1% additional sales tax....


    The 1% should be cut bar none. Our tax should go down to 7.75% as a goal. Chris needs to put up banners and make that an objective for all of Erie County. They could cut lots of waste still….. Did I mention the 15 useless legislators… Knock em down to 9 and park em in the Rath building. They do not want to go then fine, send them the rent and have them pay for it out of their own pocket.. Imagine part time and they get an office and admin assistants…… $42 thousand times 6 = $250,000.00 plus rent expense, plus office equipment redundancy expense, plus staffing expense….. Get the idea…. Not much but it is a start… And more work would get done because some of the political crap would be gone!

  10. #25
    Member cookie's Avatar
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    This may be ultra simplistic, but in my book, as long as we have debt, there is NO surplus.

    I know it's not a bad thing to carry some debt, but we're a long way past "some" debt.

    I don't like paying as much sales tax as we do, but I say we should live with it a while longer, take care of some debt and take care of some major economic rebuilding, THEN decide where to go from there.

  11. #26
    Member Velvet Fog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CSense
    Let's look at the the mandate. The fed's pay half, the state pays one quarter and the county is to pay one quarter (now capped). We at the county level have the ability to efficiently and effectively delver the"mandated" programs. We (County) have a vested interest to move people off the system yet we have such waste it's disgusting.

    It is not necessarily the programs that are at wasteful it is mostly those that deliver them.
    Agree to disagree! Most of the benefactors of the programs don't seem to get off of said programs. While I believe your correct with waste at the county level, ultimately its the persons (receiving the help) job to get off/out of the programs.
    Peace Out Funky

  12. #27
    Member bornandraised's Avatar
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    I wonder if we could some how figure out a way to tax Canadians citizens, more than the locals. I am happy that the Canadians are shopping here and contributing to our sales tax. I also know they have to pay some additional tax on things when they go back home over the border. However, with the Canadian Dollar being worth the same or more than the USD, there is still a lot of incentives for Canadians to shop here so they may not mind paying 9.5% sales tax while the locals pay 8%. I don't know how you could easily administer this different tax rate at the malls. Not sure this idea has any merit, but maybe there is a way we can better cash in on the Canadian shopper in the US/WNY, but not deter them from shopping here.

  13. #28
    Member concernedwnyer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cookie
    This may be ultra simplistic, but in my book, as long as we have debt, there is NO surplus.

    I know it's not a bad thing to carry some debt, but we're a long way past "some" debt.

    I don't like paying as much sales tax as we do, but I say we should live with it a while longer, take care of some debt and take care of some major economic rebuilding, THEN decide where to go from there.

    The problem is as long as they have the lets just increase teh tax again there is no insentive to cut back and lower the tax. Look at the Tolls .... A perfect exmaple of incompetence. I liked the story about teh Ohiio trucking company owing thousands of dollars in tolls..................

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by bornandraised
    I wonder if we could some how figure out a way to tax Canadians citizens, more than the locals. I am happy that the Canadians are shopping here and contributing to our sales tax. I also know they have to pay some additional tax on things when they go back home over the border. However, with the Canadian Dollar being worth the same or more than the USD, there is still a lot of incentives for Canadians to shop here so they may not mind paying 9.5% sales tax while the locals pay 8%. I don't know how you could easily administer this different tax rate at the malls. Not sure this idea has any merit, but maybe there is a way we can better cash in on the Canadian shopper in the US/WNY, but not deter them from shopping here.
    They come here for lower prices. Let's not chase the visitors away please, for Christ sake.

    As for the welfare issue---something does need to be done with this. Belmont is a good program and it is not for the lazy---this is generally for single working mothers...as far as I know they do have to have a job to qualify for this program. HEAP, welfare, etc....there is a lot of abuse. There should be a requirement that these people MUST find a job within a certain amount of time. If not, they have to at least work in a volunteer capacity. The people who built the AUD, and several other projects around the state were part of Roosevelts "New Deal." They were paid to do community projects.
    Well, we're encouraging laziness with welfare. They should have to work for our hard-earned money.
    http://www.buffaloreuse.org/~kool aid free zone~

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