As someone who grew up and raised a family in Western New York, I know the unique challenges that so many families here face on a daily basis, everything from property taxes to utility costs to child care.
But with the rising costs of groceries – milk, eggs, diapers – it’s become painful for our families to keep up, especially in communities like ours, where every dollar counts. This is no abstract problem. It’s a daily reality for parents in Tonawanda struggling to pay the rent, or seniors in Cheektowaga on a fixed income trying to keep the heat on during Buffalo’s long winters – something no one should ever have to worry about.
I know this pain, too. Growing up in Hamburg, I watched my grandparents, factory workers, struggle to pay the bills in their old age. My mother raised a family of eight on canned tuna casserole and fried spam sandwiches. And when I had babies of my own, I had to abandon my career because we couldn’t afford childcare. I clipped coupons, shopped at discount grocery stores and prayed that one cart of groceries would be able to last us the month.
I’ve never forgotten what that felt like: to work hard every day, and to feel like you’re still falling further and further behind.
Though we’re lucky to be fortunate now, that experience shaped who I am today. And it’s why, since becoming governor three years ago, I’ve made tackling the affordability crisis my top priority. It’s also why, when I present my new state budget in Albany next month, I’ll include a historic initiative to return $3 billion in surplus sales tax revenue directly to hardworking New Yorkers.
Under my proposed Inflation Refund plan, single New Yorkers earning less than $150,000 a year will receive a $300 check next year. Families earning less than $300,000 annually will get $500. This proposal would benefit over 620,000 households in the Western New York community alone.
Others are saying this sales tax surplus should be spent by the state. But I think this is your hard-earned money and it should be in one place and one place only: your pockets. I want you to spend it however you see fit, whether that means groceries, clothes, medicine and rent, or Bills tickets and holiday gifts.
This Inflation Refund is the latest in a long line of initiatives to make New York a more affordable place to live. Since my first day in office, we’ve expedited a middle class tax cut, cut property taxes, increased housing supply to reduce rents and boosted tuition assistance.
We’ve increased childcare support, raised the minimum wage and indexed it to inflation, and this year delivered first-in-the-nation paid prenatal leave, so working moms won’t lose income when they visit their doctor. On top of all that, we’re helping to cover utility bills, we’ve sent money to families for back-to-school shopping, and this summer, we helped feed nearly 2 million more hungry kids with direct funds for food to parents.
My whole life, I’ve seen too many Buffalo families stretching their dollars. That’s why this fight for affordability isn’t new. It’s why I wake up every day and ask myself: How can I fight for your families? How can I make sure there’s more money in your pockets?
Buffalo has always been a place where people come together, even in tough times. We know that hard work pays off, even when the odds are against us. But Western New York needs to be a place where people can get ahead, not just get by.