(The Center Square) – A majority of New Yorkers want to scrap the state’s income tax, according to a new poll, which shows deep dissatisfaction across party lines with the lack of benefits from the state’s high tax burden.
The survey by the Empire Center for Public Policy found New Yorkers overwhelmingly support gradually eliminating the state income tax. Statewide, 64% support the proposal, including 47% who feel strongly about it. Only 27% oppose it, while 9% said they are “unsure,” according to the poll.
Pollsters said nearly all demographic groups support phasing out New York’s income tax, “making dissatisfaction with the state’s high taxes and support for major tax reform unmistakably cross-partisan.”
“Regular New Yorkers are fed up and want lower taxes,” said Empire Center President Zilvinas Silenas. “Albany can follow Florida’s example or keep watching New Yorkers leave for Florida.”
By party affiliation, support ranges from 88% among Republicans to 64% among voters with no party affiliation and 51% among Democrats. Despite differences in intensity, the proposal draws majority support from all three groups, making it a cross-partisan issue, pollsters said.
Meanwhile, a majority of New Yorkers say they are not getting good value for their taxes, and dissatisfaction remains high across all income groups.
Statewide, at least 67% say they are not getting good value, including 48% who say they are definitely not getting good value. By comparison, 30% say they are getting good value, while 3% are unsure, according to the Empire poll.
“The bottom line is decisive: across every region, income bracket, and age group, New Yorkers are frustrated by how much they are taxed and how their tax dollars are spent – and majorities support eliminating the income tax,” the report’s authors wrote.
New York has a graduated individual income tax, with rates ranging from 4% to 10.90%. There are also cities, towns and counties that collect local income taxes. The stating local governments collect an average of $12,500 per capita in 2024, the highest in the nation, according to a report by the nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission.
The state has also seen a steady exodus of residents with hundreds of thousands fleeing to Florida, New Jersey and other low-tax states, according to the latest U.S. Census figures. The population decline has major implications for the state’s revenue and tax collections.
The Empire report’s authors said the data shows that New Yorkers across the political and demographic spectrum are dissatisfied with how much they pay and what they receive in return, and support a fundamental change in state fiscal policy.
“We are watching New York’s social contract break down,” Silenas said. “New Yorkers pay too much and get too little in return. Albany refuses to listen, so people give up and leave.”
