Paterson's Town Hall Meeting in Rochester

On Wednesday, March 5th Governor Paterson held a town hall meeting in Rochester to discuss the budget and other state matters. The Rochester town hall meeting was one of many held across the state over the next few weeks.

The Fair Share Tax Coalition made their presence known by standing up, cheering and chanting every time Fair Share Tax Reform was mentioned during the meeting. For coverage check out the following links:

Rochester HomePage Coverage

WXXI Coverage

R News Coverage

Governor Paterson is still holding to his argument that an increase on the personal income tax on folks that make over $250,000 will cause richer people to leave the state. This argument has been disputed by many. In September 2008, Princeton University's Policy Research Institute for the Region released "Trends in New Jersey Migration: Housing, Employment and Taxation" found that after New Jersey raised the tax rate on half-millionaires by 2.6% in 2004, the number of half-millionaires has grown by 70%, an extra $1bn per year has been raised, and people have not left the state as a result.