State Senator Fred Akshar stopped by the WEBO Morning Show today to give us his reaction to the recently-passed state budget. He was happy that the Senate was able to block a proposal from Gov. Cuomo and the Democrat-led Assembly that would have included $800 million in new taxes and fees. Instead, the final budget stayed under a 2 percent increase and will include no new taxes. The final agreement included workers compensation reform, which Akshar says will help create a better business climate. Senator Akshar was opposed to the Governor’s Excelsior Scholarship program, but says once it was inevitable that it would pass, he and the other Republicans worked hard to ensure that college tuition would not be awarded for free. Akshar also discussed many other issues that were included in the final budget, like a tax credit for farmers who provide food items to local food banks. You can hear the full interview below.
