Assemblyman John Lemondes (R,C,I-Lafayette) is criticizing the single-party budget proposal that was debated and deliberatedyesterday, calling the proposed tax hikes in New York ‘a stretch too far’ given all that has occurred over the course of the past year.

“I simply don’t understand what Assembly Majority have against letting taxpayers keep their money and allowing the state to grow,” Lemondes said. “This budget proposal, with its ridiculous goal of attaining an additional $6.8 billion from taxes on top of the $23 billion from Washington, D.C. that the governor requested, screams of complete avarice and disregard for working New Yorkers. The goal this year should be to allow the people to keep more of their money, not less.”

A proponent of policy that ends outmigration in New York, Lemondes highlights how higher taxes won’t do much good with fewer people to pay them. “In 1865, New York had 31 congressional representatives. Today, we only have 27. Outmigration isn’t a theoretical problem, it’s a real one, and it will only get worse with regressive fiscal policies such as the ones Majority members proposed today,” Lemondes concluded.