Read his lips!
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman signed a “no new taxes” pledge on Friday — daring Gov. Kathy Hochul to follow suit just days before the two will face off in the November 3 election.
Blakeman’s vow also came after Democratic incumbent Hochul gave a word salad answer this week when asked if New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s help on the campaign trail came with a tacit agreement that she’d hike taxes if re-elected.
“Kathy Hochul has never met a tax she didn’t like, and Zohran Mamdani has never met one he didn’t want to raise,” Blakeman said in a statement.
“I signed this pledge to draw a hard line against tax hikes,” he added. “I challenge Kathy Hochul to sign it, too—or admit to voters that another four years will bring new taxes, reckless spending, and more broken promises.”
The Nassau County executive reaffirmed his commitment that, if elected governor, he’d veto any income tax hikes, block all new Mamdani-inspired levies — such as drastically altering the state’s estate taxes — and ensure property taxes don’t get forced upward by unfunded state mandates.
Blakeman’s pledge includes five points: “1. No tax increases, 2. No hidden property tax increases, 3. No new inheritance or estate taxes, 4. New revenue for tax relief — not new spending and 5. Restore New York’s competitiveness,” according to a press release.
It cites an American Tax Foundation reportthat ranked New York the state with the worst tax environment.
Hochul brushed aside Blakeman’s dare to sign the pledge, and knocked him for voting to increase property taxes while serving in the Nassau County Legislature.
“Governor Hochul cut middle-class taxes to their lowest rates in 70 years, and never raised income taxes in a single budget,” said Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki in a statement.
“There’s only one candidate in the race for governor who’s actually cut taxes for families and it’s not Bruce Blakeman, who jacked up property taxes twice.”
But Hochul hasn’t committed not to raise taxes after the election — as Mamdani rallies his pro-“tax the rich” supporters to turn out for her on Tuesday.
“I will say this. A year ago I was out campaigning with the mayor. He has returned the favor and campaigned for me and I’m grateful for that,” she told reporters Wednesday.
Hochul rejected Mamdani’s calls to raise income taxes earlier this year, but implemented the controversial pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes in New York City.
A midyear report issued by Hochul’s state budget office Friday showed New York was flush with extra revenue as artificial intelligence investment continues fueling a Wall Street boom.
The rosy outlook has led the budget office to expect another $8.6 billion in tax revenue compared to when the state fiscal plan was approved in May, growing the overall size of the state budget to $282 billion, up from the record-setting $277 billion plan they approved several months ago.
The excess cash will go to state reserve funds, increasing them from $15 billion to $20 billion this year, with an additional $2 billion increase set for the 2028 fiscal year.
The budget office still projects a $2.9 billion deficit for the next budget cycle, with $5.8 billion and $8.9 billion gaps the years after.
The post Blakeman dares Hochul to sign ‘no new taxes’ pledges after she refused to say if hikes were coming post-election appeared first on New York Post.
