Staff Reports
New Yorkers are mad about taxes, and they just told Albany so. A new Empire Center poll found roughly two out of three voters want the state income tax gone and an even larger share say state taxes aren’t giving them value for money. Add a televised debate where Governor Kathy Hochul looked flustered while Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman hammered affordability, and you get a political moment Albany can’t ignore.
Poll Panic: 64% Say Abolish the State Income Tax
The Empire Center for Public Policy’s poll is loud and clear: about 64% of likely voters favor eliminating the state income tax, and 67% say New York’s taxes are not delivering good value. That’s not a niche gripe. The sample was representative of likely voters and the message cut across party lines — even a sizable number of Democrats said they’re fed up. Keywords for this fight are simple: New York income tax, tax revolt, and affordability.
Hochul’s Debate: Defensive and Fraying
The lone high‑profile debate on a statewide stage became a showcase for those complaints. Mr. Blakeman focused on taxes and cost of living. Governor Hochul stumbled at times, looked defensive, and gave critics fodder to say she’s on the ropes. Observers even floated the “deer in the headlights” line about her body language. Whether you care about posture or policy, the takeaway was the same: voters left with questions about who will actually control costs in Albany.
Cutting the Tax Means Cutting Spending — Or Finding New Revenue
Let’s be blunt: abolishing the income tax isn’t magic. It requires big cuts or a credible replacement revenue plan. Medicaid already eats a huge slice of the state budget and now tops school aid as the largest single line item. New York spends more per pupil than most states and still gets mediocre results. Bruce Blakeman’s pitch to wipe out income tax on the first $50,000 for singles and $100,000 for married couples and to trim rates above that is bold. It’s also a promise that forces choices — either shrink government, fix waste and fraud, or raise other taxes. Voters know that. They just want someone willing to make hard choices.
Why This Matters Now
The Empire Center poll plus the debate moment could change the pace of this campaign. Yes, some mainstream polls still show Governor Hochul with a lead, so the race isn’t decided. But public anger about taxes and visible cracks in the incumbent’s performance hand the opposition something voters notice: a clear alternative on affordability. If Republicans seize this message with specific plans — and force clear answers about Medicaid waste, school spending, and real cuts — New Yorkers may finally get the choice they’ve been asking for. Albany can keep pretending everything’s fine, or it can answer the voters who are saying, loudly, that it isn’t.
