(The Center Square) — Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging to cut taxes by more than $1 billion, provide inflationary refunds to New Yorkers and expand child tax credits as part of an ambitious agenda for the coming year.
Hochul used her state-of-the-state address Tuesday to highlight the proposals, many of which would require legislative approval. That includes a proposal to slash taxes by up to 5% across five of the state’s nine tax brackets, which she said would provide relief to more than 8.3 million taxpayers for joint filers who earn up to $323,200. She said the plan would cut taxes for the middle class by more than $1 billion over the next two years.
Hochul, who is up for reelection next year, also touted previously announced plans to make free school meals universal for students, regardless of their income, and a $3 billion tax rebate plan to counter inflation and prevent private equity firms from buying single-family homes.
“Let me say this — a state of the state address can be full of flowery rhetoric and still fail to address the needs of the people,” Hochul said in remarks at the Hart Theater in Albany. “I believe it needs to be much more than just lofty words. It should be a concrete blueprint that will deliver actual results that the people will feel. Our state has to be livable and the people here have to be able to afford to live in it.”
Hochul also highlighted a new proposal to expand New York’s child tax credit in the speech. She said the plan would give 1.6 million New York families an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child up to age three and $500 for kids aged 4 through 16.
The first-term Democrat also revived her quest to build more than 100,000 new homes and expand protections for homeowners and first-time homebuyers. She plans to ask lawmakers to approve $100 million for the effort.
“Housing is the number one driver of our affordability crisis, and the only way to decrease housing costs is to increase supply,” Hochul said. “We need to build and build and build some more.”
Hochul also pledged to beef up NYPD patrols along the New York City subway system, which has been roiled by a series of vicious attacks, including a woman burned to death while sleeping on a train in Coney Island and a man who was randomly pushed onto the subway tracks.
She also proposed a raft of new mental health policies, including a controversial proposal to allow the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a similar law.
“Our laws must be stronger, and that’s why I’m willing to stand up and say we need to expand involuntary commitment into a hospital,” Hochul said. “That includes someone who does not have the mental capacity to care for themselves, such as refusing help for the basics — clothing, food, shelter, medical care.”
Details of Hochul’s plans are expected to be revealed as part of her preliminary budget plan, which is set to be released next week. The state’s fiscal year begins April 1.
The affordability proposals come as Hochul gears up for a 2026 reelection bid with low favorability ratings among voters, which has spurred potential challenges from high-profile New York politicians, including Reps. Mike Lawler, a Republican, and Ritchie Torres, a Democrat.