A majority of taxes collected by our city government are generated by sales tax. This creates the largest tax burden on citizens on the lower end of the earnings spectrum. To address these issues I propose a more detailed look into the cities budget.
 
Highlights of recent city expenditures:
 
$4 million to rename the Tri-borough Bridge
Over $24 million to build a Brooklyn amphitheater
City funded projects are consistently over budget
Discretionary funds spent by politicians with little oversight and a lack of transparency
 
Everyday the city’s budgeting irresponsibly becomes more and more evident. I continue to ask myself the same question. What are the city’s priorities?
 
The city has proposed:
 
Closing firehouses
Cutting work hours for city hourly paid employees
Cutting funds from city essential programs
 
The bottom line is that the city spends money irresponsibly.  Although building amphitheaters contribute to our culture, and honoring our past leaders by naming landmarks after them boosts our morale, we need to put things into perspective. Our city’ safety, and our children’s education, are higher priorities in these economic times then special interest projects and non-essential city spending.