All Over Albany

Stacking up tax increases

All around the Capital Region, municipalities are getting their budgets ready for next year. And you know what that often means -- yep, tax increases.

We've pulled together a list of proposed tax increases from around the area. It's not a comprehensive list, but it gives you a sense of how things are stacking up.

Schenectady County - 13%

Bethlehem - 7%

Niskayuna - 5%

Albany - 4.9%

Albany County - 4%

Cohoes - 4%

Brunswick - 3.9%

Saratoga Springs - 3.8%

Schenectady - 3%

Colonie - 3%*

Rensselaer County - 0%

Troy - 0%

*That doesn't include the possible one-time deficit reduction tax.

Figures pulled from multiple published reports.

For some perspective, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, one measure of inflation (the consumer price index) was up 4.9% over the 12 month period ending in September.

Of course, you have to be careful when making direct comparisons -- this isn't quite apples to oranges, but it is kind of like comparing one variety of apple to another because of differences in already-existing tax rates and how assessments are made. Also, some municipalities are proposing to tack on additional "fees" this year (like a garbage fee increase in Schenectady). These aren't technically taxes, but, well, they taste a lot like them.

photo: Flickr user littleamandie