By Scott R. Axelrod
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
(TNS)
Nearly two-thirds of New York voters support eliminating the state income tax, while 67% say they are not getting good value for the taxes they pay, according to a poll commissioned by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they are not getting good value for their taxes, including 48% who said they are definitely not getting good value and 19% who said they are somewhat not getting good value.
Thirty percent said they are getting good value, while 3% were unsure. The results are similar to the Empire Center’s December 2024 poll.
“Regular New Yorkers are fed up and want lower taxes,” said Zilvinas Silenas, president of the Empire Center. “Albany can follow Florida’s example or keep watching New Yorkers leave for Florida.”
The view crosses party lines, with 89% of Republicans, 69% of unaffiliated voters and 53% of Democrats saying they are not getting good value for their taxes.
Majorities in every region said they are not getting good value, ranging from 59% in New York City to 73% in Western New York.
Support for eliminating the state income tax stood at 64%, with 47% strongly supporting the proposal and 16% somewhat supporting it. Twenty-seven percent opposed it and 9% were unsure.
Republicans showed the strongest support at 88%, followed by unaffiliated voters at 64% and Democrats at 51%. Support exceeded 50% in every region, income bracket and age group surveyed, ranging from 54% in New York City to 70% in the Hudson Valley. Long Island followed at 69%, while Albany/ Central New York and Western New York each registered 68%.
An earlier Empire Center poll in 2025 also found majority support for eliminating the state income tax.
“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.”
The poll surveyed 600 likely 2026 general election voters July 6-8. Cygnal conducted the survey on behalf of the Empire Center. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Photo credit: Joshua Williams/Unsplash
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© 2026 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Visit www.silive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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