Mayor Bloomberg sent a strong message to Gov. Paterson and the tax-and-spend crowd of Democratic lawmakers at the Capitol yesterday: Enough already!
“The best thing would be if Albany reduced their expenses and didn’t have to have any taxes,” said Bloomberg, as Paterson and state lawmakers prepared to hike sales taxes on clothing and impose a series of other new levies in order to get the three-months-late budget passed.
“That’s where they should be starting,” Bloomberg said.
Hizzoner made his comments shortly before it became known that the billionaire mayor may be among those in the strapped state’s cross hairs.
Sources said that a $100 million levy on those making $10 million or more a year who also donate to charity appeared likely.
The plan would cut, from 50 percent to 25 percent, the amount of charitable contributions super-millionaires could deduct from their state taxes.
Bloomberg conceded that another round of tax hikes appeared inevitable.
“They’re going to have some taxes,” he said. “The question is, which is the tax that does the least damage?”
Bloomberg prefers Paterson’s all-but-dead “sugar tax” on sweetened sodas, rather than a temporary imposition of a 4 percent sales tax on clothing under $110, which is likely to be approved.