Taxes

CHARTS: Mayoral Candidates' Incomes, Minus John Catsimatidis

Several of New York City's mayoral hopefuls released their tax returns or reported their 2012 income this week to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Below is a quick breakdown of what the candidates made in 2012 by sector, though the figures for Sal Albanese, Anthony Weiner (who hasn't form ... More >>

What The Fiscal Cliff Means For New York

New Year's Eve is a night to reflect on the year that's past. It's a night to commit to a resolution you'll never follow, a night to face the next year with a massive hangover and a night to over-plan and over-commit to. And, for Washington, it's a night to jump off the fiscal cliff.As soon as ... More >>

New York's Not Exactly "Open For Business": Report

Governor Andrew Cuomo earned a big, fat D in a recent grading of his fiscal policies by the Libertarian Cato Institute.This, of course, comes as the governor has declared New York "open for business."Cuomo's D  -- on a scale of A through F -- might have a little bit to do with a different group ... More >>

The Anatomy Of A Lap Dance: How Rubbing Your Ass On People Could Soon Be "Art" In New York

Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Michelangelo's "David," and a lap dance from some stripper named "Cinnamon" could all soon have something in common -- each could be considered "art" here in the Empire State.Let's rephrase that: they could all be tax-exempt "art" in the Empire State.New York's highest court ... More >>

As Romney Holds Back On Tax Returns, The Press Goes Into A Frenzy

The more Mitt Romney refuses to provide his tax returns except for 2010 and 2011 (the latter is forthcoming), the more editorialists are foaming at the mouth about the shady absurdity of his evasions under pressure. Here are some highlights of what's been written. (Feel free to read this, then wri ... More >>

New York Dems: Hey, Mitt Romney, Tell Us About Your Offshore Bank Accounts!

New York Democrats are welcoming GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to the Empire State by kvetching about his failure to disclose a "sufficient"number of tax returns during his bid for the White House. Specifically, lefties are interested in a few offshore bank accounts the former Massachusetts ... More >>

New York Socialists: Barack Obama Is Not a Socialist

In the capricious, confusing, volatile world of contemporary American politics, at least one thing can be counted on these days: for better or for worse, a lot of people still think Barack Obama is a socialist. So you might wonder what socialists think about Obama. If the official reaction to Ob ... More >>

How Billionaires, like Ron Lauder, Avoid Paying Taxes

​Ever wonder how the super rich avoid paying all those taxes? Well, the New York Times has an interesting takeout here on all the shenanigans folks like Ron Lauder, of Estee Lauder, do to shelter their billions. According to the Times' David Kocieniewski, Lauder, worth $3.1 billion, donates h ... More >>

Rightbloggers: S&P Downgrade of U.S. Means We're On The Right Track

Last week, hot on the heels of the Congressional debt-ceiling fiasco and the ensuing stock market drop, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit rating of the United States of America from AAA to AA , and placed the ailing superpower on "CreditWatch with negative implications." The reactions of Ame ... More >>

Scientology's Top Former Spokesman Talks Spying; The Church's Hollywood Properties Probed

More amazing new material for Scientology watchers today. We only have time for a quick dispatch while we're out of the underground bunker and on the road. First, Mark Bunker continues to release tidbits from the full-length Scientology documentary he's making, and yesterday dropped this meaty mo ... More >>

Ai Wei Wei, Dissident Artist Freed From Jail, Fined Almost $2 Million

​Last week we reported that Ai Wei Wei, the dissident artist whose detention in China sparked international outcry, had been released after almost three months in jail. Authorities said he'd been released for health reasons, and for cooperatively copping to tax evasion. No details on the amoun ... More >>

Sidebar: Whose Dole Is It Anyway?

Andrew Cuomo's Biggest Rival Won't Be the G.O.P.

It's Shelly Silver and the old-school Dems in his race to Governor

What's Happening This Week: Tipsy Trivia Night; Organic Wine Dinner

As many of you know, our weekly dining and drinking newsletter features all the coolest epicurean events in the city. Sign up for it here! Hungover Happy Hour Trivia Night Housing Works Used Book Café April 12, 7 p.m. Bring your friends or make new ones at this trivia night for a great cause. Ther ... More >>

David Paterson vs. Philip Morris: A Great American Smokeout

​In today's battle of greater and lesser evils.... On one side, we have Altria (the pleasantly named yet clearly partial parent company of Philip Morris, which sells products that are proven to kill people). On the other, there's the Paterson team.

Did Coke and Pepsi Get the Governor to Go Soft on Soda?

The Governor hears out Coke & Pepsi.​Gov. David Paterson is not known for his moral character, but could he have let Big Soda sway him on the soda tax debate? Despite campaigning aggressively in favor of a penny-per-ounce tax on the price of soda and other sugary drinks, Paterson recently met ... More >>

The Week of New York's Free Nicotine Fix: Reasons to Sign Up That Don't Involve Quitting Smoking

​Do you smoke? Doesn't matter. You should register for New York City's free patch and gum program going on for the next two weeks. Not because you're going to quit -- because, let's face it: you won't -- but because it's there for the taking. To be clear:

Paterson's State of the State: Upbeat, Lots of Programs. (Plus: Tax Incentives!)

Governor Paterson gave his annual State of the State speech, and although there were some of the grim zingers to which we've grown accustomed to hearing from him -- "The days of running New York like a payday loan operation must come to an end" is our favorite -- he mostly boosted the state ("New Y ... More >>

IBO Report: Atlantic Yards to Cost City Big, Rain Cash on Ratner

​This just hasn't been a good week for Bruce Ratner, the Nets owner who'd rather be the Nets' landlord. First, he unveils a new vision of his much-derided Atlantic Yards arena plan — now with more metal mesh! — and gets slammed by Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff for cr ... More >>

Mets Legend Jerry Koosman Turns Tax Truther, Gets 6 Months for Evasion

​The Mets are having such a bad year, their rotten luck has trickled down to ex-Mets as well. In July Lenny Dykstra declared bankruptcy, and now Jerry Koosman, hero of the 1969 Miracle Mets, has been sentenced to six months in prison for tax evasion. Koosman failed to pay taxes for three year ... More >>

NYC Film, TV Tax Credit Back on the Table

The city is going to press Albany this week to reinstate the film tax break that made New York such a popular location shoot in recent years. When the money ran out this year, so did producers; NBC Universal's Jeff Zucker said in February that "television companies that made 19 pilots for programs l ... More >>

What's Happening This Week

As many of you know, our weekly dining and drinking newsletter features all the hottest epicurean events in the city. Sign up for it here! This week, we bring you a little tax day relief and a beery movie night. The newly opened pizza-by-the-inch joint Golosi (125 Park Avenue) will have a tax day ... More >>

A City Income Tax Cut?

About 700,000 city residents live in households that earn less than $45,000 a year. Those households aren't required to pay state or federal income tax, but they still have to pay income tax in the city.Looking for ways to stimulate spending in a recession, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, alon ... More >>

Tolling Bridges, Taxing Rich, Chaining City Workers to Desks Among City's Budget Options

This morning the city's Independent Budget Office issued its annual Budget Options document, a sprawling list of ways for the city to either save money or raise revenue. In past years, this was the kind of thing that only got policy wonks' hearts a-flutter; now, with the city staring down the barre ... More >>

City Offers 50% Tax Refund Match to Poor Folks

If you earn less than $20,000 a year, or are part of a family earning less than $45,000 a year, congratulations -- first, because you're somehow able to survive in New York on that, and second, because you're eligible for a $aveNYC account. Mayor Bloomberg offers you a place to put your tax refund, ... More >>

Bloomberg Leads Yankees in Steals

Scoreboards and other trinkets given to baseball's richest team

MTA Plan: Corporate Tax, Bridge Tolls, "Automatic" But Lower Fare Hikes

Yanks Stadium Hearing Liveblog (Part 2)

Atlantic Yards Gets Tax Break, Or Not

Message Control: Pre-Budget Talks, Governor Casts Himself as No-Dealer

Eliot Spitzer's Crack Tax

Wait, it's not what you think

Secrets of the Ratner Plan Revealed! (Not)

West Side Stories, cont'd

Gentlemen, Start Your Bulldozers

Yuan, Me, and the Mayor Makes 3

Like Manna From Havens

The Times' Sweetheart Deal

The paper gets huge subsidy, then sells old headquarters building for a huge profit

Drain the Treasury, Pour in the Votes

Desperate Bush touts phony "middle-class" tax cut

Your Corporate Congress at Work

Walking the Plank

A Billion Here, A Billion There

New York City heads for a stadium overdose. Guess who will be paying.

Pataki's Prattle

Job-Jingo Governor Proposes 'State-Killing' Budget

Read My Lips

Pataki's No-Tax Vow Is Salt to City's Wounds

Bloomberg's Fragile Budget

Re-Election Year Politics Dictate Choices

The New Mayor’s Mission

To The Victor Belongs the Toil

The Mystery Candidate

Hevesi Separates Himself From Rudy, Attaches Himself to UFT

Bush Pats Corporations, Pads Rich Pockets

Oops, Says Prez. Let's Keep That AIDS Office

Many Happy Returns

Lazio Took a Smart Pill, His Tax Records Show

Paper Tigers

Train Runs Over Rudy

Mayor Stands Up For City, Gets Clobbered By Runaway Commuter Tax Cut