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What NYers send to Washington is much more than they get back

New York is one of nearly a dozen states that get more from the federal government than it puts in.
Credit: Jose Luis Magana, AP
Jose Luis Magana, AP

ALBANY - New Yorkers sent $24 billion more in tax payments to Washington than it got back in federal spending last fiscal year, one of nearly a dozen states that get less from the federal government than it puts in.

Those were the findings of a report released Wednesday by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli amid ongoing tension between New York and the Trump administration over federal aid and policies.

“New York gives more than it gets back from Washington and threats to cut federal funding for health care and other programs could tip the balance even further,” DiNapoli said in a statement.

In other words, New York gets back 90 cents for every dollar it sends to the federal government in taxes.

"The state relies on the federal government for a third of its annual budget, but the imbalance of tax dollars remains. New Yorkers deserve to be treated more fairly in the federal budget," DiNapoli continued.

In 2017, New York was one of just 11 states that sent more to Washington than it received, and only New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut got less back than New York.

DiNapoli has in recent years highlighted the disparity in New York.

But the difference isn't as great as it was a year ago: DiNapoli last year said New York sent more than $40 billion to Washington than it got back or 84 cents back for every dollar to Washington.

This year, the report comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo fights with President Donald Trump on a host of issues, including federal tax policy that caps income-tax deductions next year.

Cuomo has argued the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions hurts blue states, like New York, who already give more than Washington that it receives back.

In New York, there's a similar battle between upstate and downstate.

The downstate area, including New York City, sends more to Albany in tax revenue than it gets back in services — long a contentious issue in the state.

Nationally, DiNapoli's report said the average return for all states was $1.19 per tax dollar sent to Washington.

New York’s per capita contribution to the federal treasury was $12,588, which was the fourth highest in the U.S.

Connecticut had the highest per capita payments to the federal government at $14,671, followed by Massachusetts with $13,675 and New Jersey with $12,970.

On the other end, Mississippi generated the lowest per capita total tax payments at $5,884.

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