Excessive Taxation Is Driving Investors Out of New York

0:00 Speaker 1 Sunday morning. What is today is Congressman Michael Lawla, and he represents the seventeenth Congressional district, and he he worries about our city. He worries about our state, he worries about our country. Michael Lawla, Sunday morning. We’re both, you know, we’re both worry Tell us what you want to start.

0:22 Speaker 2 With another question, John, Thanks for having me. You know, I look at the challenges in New York. You know, you see a state budget that’s proposed to be two hundred and sixty eight billion dollars up one hundred and fifteen billion dollars, you know, in just eleven years. Absolute insanity.

0:47 They’re talking about, you know, raising taxes, they’re talking about withholding pension contributions on the backs of our public employees. I mean, you look at you know, one crisis after the next in this state, and we continue to lead these nation and out migration, have the highest tax burden.

1:08 I’ve done what I can do at a federal level to help offset these high taxes in New York by lifting the cap on salt. But it’s a real challenge, and you know, from the tax and regulatory standpoint to energy, I mean utility costs up fifty eight percent since they shut down Indian Point. It’s why I’ve called for Indian

1:31 Point to be rebuilt and reopened. You look at what the governor has done, you know, blocking natural gas pipelines, blocking natural gas power plants, and you know, yet they gaslight everybody about the overall you know, cost of energy and try to blame it solely on the utility companies and take no responsibility for the policies that they’ve put forth. Obviously,

1:58 you know, at a federal level right now, dealing with the situation in Iran, uh, you know, the President coming on the heels of his trip to China. Uh. You know, we we are dealing with major foreign policy issues coupled with you know, really making sure that we get federal uh spending under control, get federal uh you know, regulations

2:24 under control, get permitting reform done, get a housing bill done. You know, we’re tackling a lot of issues all at once. And you know, there’s a lot, a lot going on in the world right now, A.

2:35 Speaker 1 Lot going on in the world. Now I understand the bill uh I was proposed and agreed to. I guess with Governor Hoko and along with me Mandavi that they feel that everything is a done deal. Uh what do you hear?

2:55 Speaker 2 What?

2:55 Speaker 1 What’s the pulse of the situation.

2:58 Speaker 2 Well, they continue to work through you know, the the budget bills, but the main crux, you know, the peda tear tax going after you know, the the quote unquote rich. You know, the reality is people like Ken Griffith don’t need to be here. And we’ve seen him get up and leave Chicago and take his tax revenue with him. Uh,

3:25 and you know he has invested a lot in New York and yet they’re attacking him. It’s crazy. You know, the top ten percent of income earners pay seventy two percent of the federal tax levee. The top ten percent pays seventy two percent of the tax levee. So it’s you know, they want to continually attack these folks and

3:45 claim they’re not paying their fair share. But the reality is they’re investing in our communities and somebody like Ken Griffin is investing billions of dollars in New York and paying.

3:57 Speaker 1 I understand that the meeting between Governor Hochel and Keed Griffith did go well, I don’t know. Then I I got a few phone calls a couple of days ago that the Mayo was trying to beat with him. I don’t know what happened now.

4:13 Speaker 2 And you know, if if I were him, why waste Why waste time? I mean, you know, Zorroon Mamdani believes in this crap. He believes, uh, you know, in raising taxes uh and driving business out. As Margaret Thatcher famously said, the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money.

4:33 Speaker 1 Uh.

4:33 Speaker 2 And that’s what New York is experiencing. I mean they’re talking about multi billion dollar budget deficits. They’re trying to close it with the Pedatare tax. They’re trying to close it by not making pinching contributions. I mean, it’s crazy, Uh, the the fiscal crisis that these folks are creating because there’s not a program or an expenditure that they don’t like.

4:55 Speaker 1 Understood. What else I want to tell all New Yorkers all America.

5:02 Speaker 2 Look, we you know, obviously as we approach America two fifty, you know there’s going to be a lot going on in our country. The World Cup coming, that’s going to be a great experience for America, but especially for New York and New Jersey in the metropolitan region. Certainly a big opportunity to celebrate American culture and history and something

5:31 to bring folks together and certainly try to unify people around sports. And you know, we’re going to see a UFC fight down in Washington, We’re going to see a Formula one race in Washington, d C. Coming up, And yeah, these are all great opportunities to bring Americans together around culture and sport.

5:51 Speaker 1 Well, Mike Smaller, Congressman, you’re my congressman from my Chappaqua home. Thank you for everything you do and God bless you and he’ll bless America.

6:01 Speaker 2 Well, thanks so much. Time to take care. Thank you,