Weaker replacement for Empire Zones will hurt Western New York

A Buffalo News Editorial points out how watering down economic development tools like the Empire Zone program and replacing them with a much weaker program will have a negative effect on the Upstate economy and jobs.

One of the many things wrong with our politicians is that they can have a very narrow view of issues; in some cases they are nearly blind. The problem is evident in the state’s decision to drop the Empire Zone economic development program, upon which upstate depends, in favor of one that is even worse, the Excelsior program. Thank you, Albany.

At the same time, it is bolstering another incentive program that mainly benefits New York City. Thank you again.

New York needs an economic development program. The state is losing businesses and jobs to other states because it is so unfriendly to business. That’s borne out in the state’s high taxes and the difficult and costly mandates that businesses don’t face elsewhere. Add to that our high cost of power and difficult labor unions and it’s no surprise that other states are taking our jobs. People are leaving New York, and just one of the costly results is the loss of two congressional districts after the 2000 census. Another may be lost as a result of this year’s census.”

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