Under a Mayor Joe Lhota, th🌸e tax ❀man would have a lighter load.
♒The Republican mayoral nominee said Friday 💃he would reform or reduce a slew of taxes on businesses, homeowners and tourists as part of his plan to boost the city’s economy and create new jobs.
In his first major policy announcement of the general election campaign, the former deputy mayor and MTA chairman said he’d phase out taxes on unincorporated businesses and similarly eliminate over time a tax that’s only charged to commercial renters in M🦂anhattan south of 96th Street.
He also called for reforming the property assessment system — and if possible, to reduce property taxes — wh♛ile eliminating general corporation taxes for start-ups that don’t generate income.
Even non-New Yorkers would get a break.
Under Lhota’s jobs plan, the hotel occupancy tax would return to its former rate 𝐆of 5 percent after being at nearly 5.9% the past ꦬfour years.
“We don’t have a revenue problem in the city of New York,” Lhota said outside a restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, when asked about how he would pay for services with so many tax💙 cuts.
“We have🐼 a spending problem ♓in the city of New York.”
Lhota noted the city’s ๊spending rate more than doubled in the past 11 years, rising 56 percent over the rate of inflation.
He also pointed out that his ﷺDemocratic rival , Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, was in the City Council for eight of those years — when fees, taxes and fines were continually hiked.
“For eight years that he was in❀ City Council, he consistently voted to 𝔍increase spending and to pay for it on the backs of hard-working men and women all throughout the city,” said Lhota. “Not once did he think about the impact that it would have on the city of New York.”
De Blasio has said as mayor he would want to raise taxes for five years on the wealthiest New Yorkers — those earning $ꦛ500,000 or more — to funඣd universal pre-kindergarten and middle-grade after-school programs.
“It’s a typical conse🌸rvative Republican plan: cuts taxes on weaﷺlthy corporations instead of investing in our schools and everyday New Yorkers,” de Blasio’s campaign spokesman said of Lhota’s pitch.
Albany would have to ap𒆙prove just about any tax change the city would want to implement no matter who becomes mayor. The property tax is the only one the city controls on its own.