SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

This section is a brief review of the information in the prior nine sections.

 

New York City spends more than the national local government average on some categories of public services, at an additional cost of over three percent of its residents’ personal income…

** Tax funded expenditures. Note: local government pension contributions not included for New Jersey, because they appear to have been recorded incorrectly.

 

New York City spends less than the national local government average on other categories of public services, while other parts of the state spend more…

** Net of dedicated transport taxes, motor vehicle fuel taxes, transportation aid revenues, transit fares, airport fees, tolls, parking fees, etc. Note: local government pension contributions not included for New Jersey, because they appear to have been recorded incorrectly.

 

The state of New York, through mandated spending and aid to local goverments, in large part determines local government tax levels and spending patterns throughout New York state

 

Decisions made in the 1950s and 1960s, which benefitted those who cashed in and moved away, limit choices today. Will similar choices today hurt the city and state tomorrow?

 

 

Public sector “charity” has changed over the years…and continues to trend in the same direction…

 

Notes: In 1997, medical vendor payments (ie. Medicaid) accounted for 97.6 percent of all vendor payments, while other vendor payments (ie. for foster care, to social services, to non-profit homeless shelters, etc.) accounted for 2.4 percent. However, Medicaid “personal care” spending helps to support employment in the non-profit social services industry, since these services (unlike home health care) are not classified as health care. Medicaid payments to public hospitals are tabulated as public hospitals spending, not Medicaid spending.

 

New York City collects more revenues than local governments elsewhere, primarily as a result of high taxes other than property taxes

** Excluding aid for welfare, hospitals, and housing. Federal aid only includes that paid direct to local government; most federal to local aid is first paid to state, then by states to local government.

 

State officials in albany determine the spending levels and priorities, and receive the credit from those receiving public funds … but they make local governments come up with much of the money, and take the blame for the costs.

For additional notes on Census of Governments data issues, click here.