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Comptroller DiNapoli predicts "problematic" budget season

NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli speaks to the Albany Times Union's Casey Seiler, who is also co host of the statewide PBS program New York Now, on the state budget and other issues at a forum at the Hearst Media Center.
Karen DeWitt
NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli speaks to the Albany Times Union's Casey Seiler, who is also co host of the statewide PBS program New York Now, on the state budget and other issues at a forum at the Hearst Media Center.

The state’s Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli, warns of a “problematic” budget season, as the state faces a structural deficit, changes to the federal tax code, and uncertainty over continued funding from Washington.

DiNapoli, speaking at a forum sponsored by the Albany Times Union, says this year’s $4.4 billion dollar budget gap is on top of expected cuts from President Trump and the Republican led Congress.  

“On health care alone, we still stand to lose billions of dollars,” DiNapoli. “We really could be behind the eight ball.”

Governor Cuomo introduces his budget plan next week, and says he wants to include a plan to shift the state income tax to a pay roll tax, in order to get around the loss of state and local tax deductions in the new federal tax law. DiNapoli says he’ll comment after he sees the governor’s specific plan, but says any proposal would be  “complex” to implement.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for the New York Public News Network, composed of a dozen newsrooms across the state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.