The New York Shakedown! New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Says Visiting Healthcare Heroes Must Pay NYS Income Taxes

The New york Shakedown is back and this time Cuomo has health care workers in his sights. Health care heroes came from around the country to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in New York.

Now Cuomo and the state of New York say these heroes will have to pay state income taxes.

The taxes would also affect Samaritan’s Purse and other Christian aid organizations. They set up a temporary hospital in Central Park.

Cuomo said:

We’re not in a position to provide any subsidies right now because we have a $13 billion deficit. So there’s a lot of good things I’d like to do. If we get federal funding, we can do it. But it would be irresponsible for me to sit here looking at a $13 billion deficit and say I’m gonna spend more money. 

The issue first arose when Samaritan’s Purse was setting up its emergency field hospital. The charity’s comptroller noticed that NYS law requires anyone working in the state for more than 14 days to pay income tax.

There’s no exemption for coronavirus relief.

Governor Cuomo said New York is in dire need of federal funding to help it cope with the crisis.

Cuomo Blames The GOP For The New York Shakedown

Governor Cuomo placed at least some of the blame for New York not getting federal funds on Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has opposed so-called blue state bailouts.

McConnell rankled Cuomo last month when he suggested that states be allowed to declare bankruptcy instead.

McConnell said that Senate Republicans remain open to the idea of sending more assistance to state and local governments. However, it must be within the scope of the coronavirus.

For his part, President Trump sided with McConnell in an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday.

I don’t think the Republicans want to be in a position where they bail out states that are, that have been mismanaged over a long period of time.

Cuomo addressed that notion during his own press appearance:

This state was doing well before the virus and I wasn’t asking for a nickel. So it has nothing to do with mismanagement.