TAXES RANK AS TOP CONCERN IN LOWER HUDSON VALLEY

Rochester, N.Y. (Sept. 1, 2006) – Taxes are the top concern of Lower Hudson Valley residents heading into the election this fall, but education and health care are also important, according to a poll commissioned by New York Matters and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

Twenty-six percent of Lower Hudson Valley residents said taxes are the greatest issue facing the next governor.  Education (14 percent) and health care (12 percent) were the next most common answers.

The concern about taxes reflects the relatively high tax burden faced by residents of this region. In some counties, per-capita local taxes are almost twice the state median, and residents pay a greater share of their income to local taxes.

Other major findings of the poll:

• Lower Hudson Valley residents would rather see education funding redistributed from richer to poorer schools than taxes raised to respond to a court order requiring increased funding for New York City schools.
  
• Just 12 percent of Lower Hudson Valley residents said their quality of life has improved over the past five years, 7 points below the state.
  
• Like other New Yorkers, Lower Hudson Valley residents are overwhelmingly negative about the job the state is doing on critical issues such as education, health care and the economy. Overall, 74 percent of them said state government is doing a “poor” or “only fair” job of dealing with the issues that matter most.

Click here to read the full report (PDF)