Cash on Hand:          $330,903.21

Amount Raised:        $212,278.00

“I am very thankful to everyone for their early support of my first re-election campaign,” said Zeldin. “It has been an honor and privilege to represent the residents of the Third Senatorial District thus far in my first term.”

As a result of the agreement between the Legislature and the Governor, 78.2 percent of all employers (over 700,000 taxpayers) will see a total elimination of the tax. Many others will receive a reduction.

I very much appreciate Governor Cuomo’s good faith efforts working with Senate Republicans to remove this unfair burden on Long Island businesses, nonprofits and others.

The MTA Payroll Tax should have never been passed in the first place, and I remain committed to our long term efforts on this issue. It’s important that the MTA continue to pursue increased efficiencies in order to function with less reliance on taxpayer subsidies.

The voters in my district are overwhelmingly opposed to the MTA Payroll Tax and I made a commitment to them that this issue would be my number one priority. I am very happy to deliver this significant victory in my first year in office.

As it is now well known, this past June, the Senate passed my legislation to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax. That was the first step. Today was a significant next step..

I would like to thank my constituents, small business owners, and other organizations whose efforts were instrumental in helping us reach this point. Our hard work is paying off.

The MTA Payroll Tax was inhibiting our economy and restricting the growth of quality jobs in New York. This agreement spurs real economic development, and puts New York State on the path towards prosperity.

Our efforts must not stop, even with a $320 million elimination of the MTA Payroll Tax. Together we must continue our work in identifying needed reforms for the MTA to lower its costs without fare increases or service cuts. We must also continue to do more to improve the business climate on Long Island.”

———–

Senator Zeldin’s MTA Repeal bill S.5596-A/A.8193-A originally passed the New York State Senate on June 15, 2011, with a bi-partisan vote, 40-22. The bill was introduced in the Assembly by Assemblyman George Latimer (D-Rye). Twenty-one other Assembly Members have signed on as co-sponsors, including Dean Murray (R, C- East Patchogue), Al Graf (R, C- Holbrook), Dan Losquadro (R, C- Shoreham), and Fred Thiele (I- Sag Harbor).

Independent endorsements for Senator Zeldin’s bill come from: The New York State School Boards Association, The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, Tax Relief Now, New York State Catholic Conference, Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, National Federation of Independent Businesses, Business Council of New York State, Inc., Conservative Party of New York State, Long Island Business News, New York Farm Bureau, GrowPAC, restructuring expert Harry Wilson, Long Island Cares, Inc., Long Island Business Council, Hauppauge Industrial Association, and several Chambers of Commerce.

Filing Period: January 2011-July 11 2011

Amount Raised: $209,550.41
Cash on Hand: $195,024.52
Debt: $0

“I am very thankful to everyone for their early support of my first re-election campaign,” said Zeldin. “I have thoroughly enjoyed representing the residents of the Third Senatorial District thus far in my first term. It is an honor and a privilege to be a New York State Senator.”

Tonight, the Senate passed my bill to repeal the MTA payroll tax.

The job-killing MTA Payroll Tax represents one of the worst ideas Albany has ever come up with. I originally promised, if elected, to secure passage in the Senate of the Repeal of the MTA Payroll Tax, and tonight, the Senate came through.

I was elected last year to change the culture in Albany and protect our Long Island interests. I promised to cut taxes, cut spending and create jobs. This commitment is something that I take very seriously. The Senate’s repeal of the MTA payroll tax, in addition to the repeal of the saltwater fishing license that I secured this past March, hopefully shows you that I am keeping this important commitment.

You can read our press release here announcing Senate passage of the MTA Tax repeal here.

You can watch my speech on the floor of the Senate here.

Tonight, in Albany, I was interviewed by Liz Benjamin for her statewide television show, Capital Tonight.

Please watch my interview on Youtube and share it with your friends.

In the past week, my legislation has garnered support and endorsements from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, The Business Council of New York State, Inc., The Long Island Business News, New York Farm Bureau, GrowPAC, The Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Long Island Cares, Inc., The Long Island Business Council, New York State Catholic Conference, the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, restructuring expert Harry Wilson, Tax Relief Now, the Hauppauge Industrial Association, and several Chambers of Commerce.

You can read all of these endorsements and messages of support for this legislation on our government website here.

The fate of the Repeal now lies with the State Assembly. I am proud to have partnered with our local Assemblymen, Dean Murray, Al Graf, Dan Losquadro and Phil Boyle and I know they are doing everything in their power to fight for this legislation.

I ask you to call Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office at 518-455-3791 and urge him to pass my MTA payroll tax repeal bill.

It is critical in the next few days that we put the pressure on Speaker Silver and his NYC Democratic leadership to pass this bill (A.8193A) so that this repeal can then be signed into law.

I want to thank you for your support during these first six months in office and I remain true to keeping my commitment to you. This legislation does just that.

Sincerely,

Lee

WWW.DUMPTHEMTATAX.COM

April 10, 2011 by PATRICK WHITTLE / patrick.whittle@newsday.com

State Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) vowed Sunday to introduce a bill during the current state legislative session to repeal the unpopular Metropolitan Transit Authority payroll tax.

Zeldin made the pledge — reiterating a campaign promise he ran on — during a rally in Ronkonkoma at Pride Products, a manufacturer, before about 75 supporters. At the same time, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats criticized Zeldin and some of his Republican colleagues for campaigning on promises to repeal the MTA tax and thus far failing to deliver.

An MTA spokesman also said Sunday that the agency cannot afford to give up the $1.4 billion in annual revenue provided by the tax. State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) has also said it will be difficult to repeal the tax this year.

The MTA faces a $100-million budget gap this year and $250-million gap next year, an authority source said.

But Zeldin said he will introduce the bill during the second half of the legislative session — which began April 4 and runs into June. “We must find a balance that will allow us to get this tax repealed responsibly,” he told the crowd.

The payroll tax, implemented in 2009 to help bail out the financially troubled authority, charges employers 34 cents for every $100 of payroll and has been described as a “job killer” by opponents.

Zeldin won election to the State Senate in November in part by campaigning to repeal the tax. Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Senate Democrats, said the promise has turned out to be “all talk and no action.”

Zeldin said he wants to work with Democrats to bring the MTA into fiscal solvency without the payroll tax.

But, he added, “You hear nothing from them on a policy end in regards to repealing the MTA tax.”

There is a similar bill in the Assembly currently before the Ways and Means committee.

MTA spokesman Sam Zambuto said the agency would have been in dire financial straits without the payroll tax last year even after enacting cost-saving service cuts.

Today, I attended a State Senate Public Hearing on The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Finances.  I had the opportunity to ask several questions of MTA Chairman Jay Walder.

You will be able to view the entire hearing on our website here in the coming days.

I will be submitting a letter to Chairman Walder outlining additional questions in the coming week. I look forward to his prompt and sincere response.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may like me to ask on your behalf.

I will be analyzing and studying his responses to my questions and will be using the data that I get to help me finalize my legislation that I will be introducing to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax.

You can join me in this effort by signing our petition to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax. Please visit our website, sign this petition and share it with your friends and neighbors.

I am working very hard in Albany to hold the MTA more accountable to all of us.

Proud to Be Your Senator,

Lee

This past Sunday was our “Dump The MTA Payroll Tax” Rally and Press Conference at Pride Products, a local company affected by the MTA Tax.  I was very grateful for the strong showing at this event.

The MTA Payroll Tax is a tax which was placed on every business, school, local government, nonprofit and hospital in Suffolk County, costing Suffolk County Taxpayers more than $163,636,074 since its inception 2009.

For those of you who could not make it on Sunday, you can watch video of that press conference in three parts, part 1 here,part 2 here and part 3 here.

You can also read our press release here.  Newsday also wrote a story on our event. You can read that here.

For members of our Facebook community, I posted photos from the event here.

On Monday, in Albany, I was interviewed by Liz Benjamin for her statewide television show, Capital Tonight.

Please watch my interview on Youtube and share it with your friends.

I need your support. The MTA Payroll Tax will not be repealed without your full assistance. The need to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax can be easily communicated in a sound bite. The actual repeal of this tax will only come from a broader coalition of louder advocates with bold ideas to fix our mass transit system.

I have created an online petition, for you to join our fight to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax. Please visit our website, sign our petition, and forward it to your friends, so we can deliver the message to Albany that we are serious about repealing the MTA Payroll Tax.

As I have said from day one, I will not rest until this tax is repealed!

Sincerely,

Lee

During my campaign, I committed to cut taxes, reduce spending and empower private sector job growth. This year’s State Budget is my first opportunity to make good on those commitments, and I’m very pleased that my efforts have achieved significant success.  The new $132.5 billion spending plan my Senate colleagues and I are enacting decreases year-to-year spending by 2 percent, reduces state agency operations by 10 percent, reduces Medicaid by $2.8 billion and puts New York back on the road to fiscal recovery.

Since I came into office this past January, I have been working hard with my new colleagues to close New York’s $10 billion 2011-12 fiscal year State budget deficit. That deficit has been completely eliminated – without raising taxes!  Additionally, the 2011-2012 State Budget delivers on my initiative to repeal the Saltwater Fishing License Fee. The state budget also cuts the Legislative budget by 10%. The legislature should not be willing to make others sacrifice if we aren’t willing to do it ourselves as well.

At the same time, the budget restores $272 million to the Governor’s original school aid cuts. The Governor had proposed new unfunded mandates on school districts which have also been addressed in the education aid restoration. The new budget agreement ensures that Long Island Schools are funded more fairly and equitably than was originally proposed in the Governor’s Executive Proposal.

You can click here to view the school aid runs for the Third Senate District here on our Facebook page or here on our Website.

It is imperative that in our local communities and the state legislature, we vigorously pursue new ways to deliver a quality education to our school children while also providing property tax relief. This requires more than just a tightening of our belt. This will require an immediate pursuit of vision, perseverance, and cooperation. I will work 7 days a week, in partnership with the taxpayers of my district, to implement solutions. All options must be on the table to achieve two common goals: property tax relief and a quality education for our kids. This will not be easy and cannot be resolved in a sound bite.

There has been a lot of talk about the Personal Income Tax Surcharge (i.e.,”millionaire’s tax”) on New Yorkers earning over $200,000 per year. I have heard a lot of varying rumors from different sides of the argument. The fact is that New York State has the worst business climate in the entire country. We have the highest corporate and individual marginal income tax rates in America. Long Island companies must contend with more obstacles than businesses in other states. In addition to the PIT Surcharge, our businesses pay the MTA Payroll Tax, the highest income taxes, the highest property taxes, the highest salary overhead, the highest energy and insurance costs and more.

Businesses are leaving Long Island regularly and taking our jobs with them. Our state has also been losing income as wealthy New Yorkers make the decision to move to bordering states and pay lower taxes elsewhere. It is absolutely impossible to improve the business climate of our state while ignoring the realities that our tax laws and regulatory policies are the biggest driving factors for the exodus. Everyone needs to understand that there are multiple fronts to the challenges facing our state.

We must improve the business climate while acknowledging the reality that lower and middle income New Yorkers are also struggling. Many are unemployed and underemployed. Many struggle with some of the same factors driving businesses out of our state. People are defaulting on credit cards, losing homes to foreclosure, and even struggling to put food on the table. Our present economy is currently one that I don’t ever want my children’s generation or their children’s generation to ever witness. That’s why I am grateful to be serving as a State Senator right now and putting policies in place now that will benefit New York for many years to come.

However, our work is far from complete. This year’s budget agreement also produces great results for the following fiscal year, 2012-13. The estimated 2012-13 budget deficit, recently projected to be $15 billion, has been reduced to $2 billion. We must eliminate that as well.  People are still out of work, property taxes are still too high, and fiscal challenges still face our communities and state.

While it’s remarkable how well the Governor and legislature have worked together in delivering an on-time budget, important work still lies ahead, including a repeal of the MTA Payroll Tax.  We have taken a very difficult, bold, and important step forward, but there are many more priorities to be addressed.

I was proud to cosponsor the Governor’s Program Bill for a 2 percent tax cap, which the Senate passed on January 31st.  A property tax cap is and remains one of my top priorities for the 2011 Legislative Session.  Now it’s the Assembly’s turn to act on this important legislation.  The Assembly can and should bring the Governor’s Program Bill to the floor for a vote this session so that it can take effect as soon as possible.

I also believe that the Legislature and Governor should pursue meaningful mandate relief, which will also help reduce property taxes throughout Long Island and New York State.  New Yorkers need property tax relief and the Legislature must start listening and acting on this immediate need. Our taxpayers are the special interest group that requires the most amount of attention, concern and responsiveness.

The residents of the Third Senate District are very fortunate to have a Senate Majority Leader in Dean Skelos. He has been more than a partner in my efforts to fight for the residents of our district. He is a leader for Long Island and New York State who will play a critical role in assisting me in my efforts to best represent you going forward.

This is a challenging time for our state and I am honored to do my absolute best fighting for the Third Senate District and the future of New York State. Please stay engaged and assist your civics, school boards, as well as local, state and federal elected officials. The strength of our character and resolve will get all of us through these very trying times.

You can share this statement with your friends on you Facebook here and on our website here.

I have some great news to tell you!  As you know, I have been working hard fighting for us and our district in Albany.  During my campaign, I pledged to fight for the repeal of the new taxes and fees imposed on us over the past two years.

One of those fees was the Saltwater Fishing License and Fee.  It really aggravated me that Albany would make fishermen get a license and pay a fee to go saltwater fishing.  Recreational and commercial saltwater fishing is one of the many great things about Long Island, and for centuries, we were able to fish without the Saltwater Fishing License and Fee.

For the last month, I worked the halls of the Capitol, day and night, to bring together a broad coalition to fight for its repeal.   I am proud to announce a three way agreement to repeal the Saltwater Fishing License Fee as part of the 2011-2012 State Budget.

You can read my press release here.

Many news outlets reported on my repeal efforts this past week.  You can read Newsday’s article here.  The New York Post article here.  The Wall Street Journal reported on it here.

News 12 Long Island even ran a story on it, which you can view here.

In fact, for delivering on this campaign promise, City Hall News named me as one of their top five political winners of the week in New York.

I would also like to thank the thousands of supporters and fishermen, including the Recreational Fishing Alliance, who called, wrote, faxed and signed our petition. Without all of your help, this may not have been possible.

I made a promise to everyone when I got elected. It’s a promise I take to heart every single day I am in Albany or in the District.  I made clear from the beginning of the budget process that I would not support any new taxes or fees and I would find a way to reduce spending.

I will continue doing absolutely everything in my power to deliver on the pledges from my 2010 campaign.

All the Best,

Lee