Tax deal ax a cardinal sin
ALBANY — Timothy Cardinal Dolan on Wednesday expressed “discouragement” at the likely failure to enact an education investment tax credit in the upcoming state budget — even as he vowed to not give up hope.
“When I keep getting disappointed like this, I can see why people get cynical,” Dolan told
AP the Daily News.
The cardinal, who has been actively pushing the past two years for the tax credit that he says would help struggling parochial schools, wouldn’t point fingers as to who he thinks is to blame.
“If this doesn’t work out, there’s a lot of blame to go around,” he said.
But Dolan said “we need to look now to the Assembly for leadership.”
Cuomo included the $100 million tax credit, which is supported by the Republican-controlled state Senate, in his proposed budget, tying it to creation of a state DREAM Act that Democrats support but the GOP opposes.
The tax credit would cover those who donate to public schools and to scholarships for private and parochial schools.
But the Assembly, where many Democrats say it would take needed money away from public schools, has refused to go along with it despite new Speaker Carl Heastie having previously cosponsored the bill.
Dolan said he spoke to Heastie this week to thank him for his past support on the issue.
“Cynics say I’m naive,” he said. “They tell me, ‘They shake incense at you because they know what you want to hear, but they’re not going to come through at crunch time.’ I told Speaker Heastie we need to see action now.”
He also urged those Assembly Democrats who support the tax credit to follow Cuomo’s call Thursday for the bill to come to the floor for an up or down vote.
Several told The News they won’t vote for the entire budget or parts of it if the investment tax credit is not included.
But even with many telling him he’s been played, the cardinal says he is still holding out hope.
“I’m in the business of hope so I don’t lose hope easily,” he said. “I still have enough trust in people who I firmly believe put the education of our kids first
“Now it’s time,” Dolan said. “I would hope the Assembly would be brave and come up and say ‘we’re behind this.’ ”
When told of Dolan’s comments, Heastie joked: “Did you ask him if he prayed for me, also?”
The speaker said the tax credit was discussed with his members, but he added, “There was no resolution.”