Paterson's Budget: 137 New Taxes = $3,875 Per Family

This is just a small taste of the change heading your way, folks. Just imagine how much you're going pay once Obama and the Democrats are through with you.

The average family of four in New York would have to dish out $3,875 a year in new taxes and fees if Gov. David Paterson's budget proposal is approved, a review Thursday by Assembly Republicans shows.

From $73 a year on deposits on water and juice bottles to a $720 increase in state college tuition and fees, the average family would be further pinched by the governor's proposal, said Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady.

"All these tax-and-fee hikes are like declaring war on New York's middle-class families," Tedisco said.

Paterson has come under heavy criticism for proposing 137 new taxes and fees and revenue raisers to help close a $15.4 billion budget deficit in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which starts April 1.

The Democratic governor said Thursday that he tried to spread the pain as evenly as possible. He said Tedisco and other leaders have not offered alternatives.

Pain? What pain? I thought Democrats said it was our patriotic duty to pay higher and higher taxes? Isn't that just our fair share?

I notice how like like to label new taxes as fees. Been seeing that for a long time. But now I notice the new term revenue raisers. Very clever.

H/Y Bradshaw.