government finances

Federal agencies reported $161.5 billion in improper payments during fiscal year 2024, according to data released by the Office of Management and Budg...

ALBANY (TNS) — Cannabis processors and cultivators are urging Gov.Kathy Hochulto sign a bill that would restructure their tax filings to be on an annu...

Progressives who argue that “the rich” should pay their “fair share” of income taxes are inadvertently arguing they should get a tax cut. The IRS rece...

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to mail $500 checks to millions of households has a problem: the sales tax “surplus” she wants to dish out doesn’t exist. Hoc...

OLEAN — “The hard part is over” in enacting a city hotel bed tax, city officials reported. On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill S6671, whic...

LITTLE VALLEY — Unanimously and without comment Tuesday, Cattaraugus County lawmakers approved a $293.7 million budget for 2025, up less than 1% from ...

LITTLE VALLEY — A hearing on the proposed Cattaraugus County budget for the 2025 fiscal year will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Lawmakers are expected to...

ALBANY (TNS) — Some state tax incentive programs could be in peril next year as lawmakers consider slimming down underperforming initiatives to prepar...

Local sales taxes generally saw small declines in October, state officials reported. The Office of the State Comptroller reported that while 63% of co...

DEAR RUSTY: I served in the U.S. Army from January 1958 to Feb 1961. What increase should I receive for those years and who do I call and at what phon...

DEAR RUSTY: I retired at my full retirement age, am now 79 and will be 80 in December. I have been working consistently since. I get a meager Social S...

ALLEGANY — The town of Allegany has unanimously passed its budget for 2025. The adopted budget keeps the town under the 2% tax cap limit set by New Yo...

DEAR RUSTY: The Social Security program is funded by employees and their employers. The federal government does not contribute to the program, right? ...

OLEAN — A stroke of a pen is hoped for later this year to allow a city tax on hotel, motel and other short-term rentals. A bill passed by the state Le...

Sales taxes collected at the local level rose at a slower rate in September and the third quarter across the state, Albany’s financial watchdog agency...

DEAR RUSTY: I am past my Social Security full retirement age, and I am still working. I am married and we file our income tax jointly. My husband is 6...

The State of New York has spent $40 million on its County-Wide Shared Service Initiative, which appears to exist for the explicit purpose of eliminati...

America’s 50 state governments will need an extra $811 billion to pay off their current debt, according to the annual “ State of the States ” report f...