Gov. Cuomo has a little-noticed backup firewall against those pushing for the controversial “millionaires tax’’ — the usually ignored Assembly Republican minority.
Minority Leader Brian Kolb told The Post yesterday that he’s ready to uphold a Cuomo veto of a measure to extend the tax, should it be passed by both legislative houses.
The current tax is set to expire at the end of December.
“We will support the governor in not continuing the surcharge in any way possible,’’ said Kolb, dubbing it “a success-tax surcharge.’’
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Tom Libous hinted this month that Senate Republicans were wavering in their opposition to the special tax on the wealthy that Cuomo says puts high-tax New York at a competitive disadvantage and helps drive the very rich, like former Rochester-area billionaire Tom Golisano, from the state.
Libous (R-Binghamton) told Albany’s Talk 1300-AM he was open to reimposing the tax because of financial needs in his Southern Tier region due to flooding from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee.
“I’ve got a hurting community, and … I’m going to have to make decisions that are out of the box,’’ he said when reminded of his prior opposition to the tax.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) insisted he and his GOP Conference, including Libous, remain “absolutely, unequivocally opposed’’ to the tax — but many at the Capitol are unsure.
Last week, the labor-controlled Working Families Party told YNN-TV that it would consider endorsing Senate Republicans willing to back the tax.
Should the Senate join the Democratic-controlled Assembly in passing it, Cuomo is expected to veto the tax. A two-thirds vote would be required for an override.
Kolb, who heads a GOP bloc of 50 in the 150-member Assembly, will likely have 51 votes, one more than needed to block an override, after the Nov. 8 elections, when an open seat near Buffalo is expected to go Republican.
The WFP, meanwhile, sought to exploit the freak weekend snowstorm by raising money off the presumed suffering of the weather-exposed Occupy Wall Street protesters.
It sent out an e-mail Saturday calling for a petition demanding that Mayor Bloomberg let the activists have “tents, shelter, warmth to continue making their voices heard from Zuccotti Park.’’
But rather than suggest that supporters donate money or warm clothing directly to OWS, the WFP — which has done its best to bleed city residents dry with high taxes and runaway public-employee pension benefits — told the e-mail’s recipients that “just $5 a month supports our fight for a better New York.’’