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S3315Senate2019-2020 Session

Use Stock Tax for Infrastructure

Official title

“Relates to rebates on stock transfer tax paid; dedicates funds of the stock transfer tax fund to the dedicated infrastructure investment fund”

Sponsor Zellnor MyrieSD-20+4 co-sponsorsAffects Finance
Status
In Senate Committee
Budget And Revenue
Impact
9/10
Transformational
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Budget And Revenue

What's happening

This bill reduces the stock transfer tax rebate to 60% and redirects the remaining funds toward infrastructure investment in New York State.

Why it matters

  1. Partial Reinstatement of Stock Transfer Tax. By reducing the rebate on the stock transfer tax from a full (100%) refund to 60%, the bill effectively means that 40% of the tax will now be retained by the state, increasing state revenues from financial market transactions.

  2. Shift in Financial Sector Obligations. This change increases the direct tax burden on stock transactions, which could impact high-volume traders, financial institutions, and potentially individuals investing through New York’s exchanges. It might also influence trading behavior or push some activity out of state if costs rise.

  3. Dedicated Infrastructure Funding. By channeling the retained tax revenue directly into the Dedicated Infrastructure Investment Fund, the bill ensures that new funds are earmarked specifically for infrastructure projects, potentially accelerating repairs, upgrades, and new developments in transportation, utilities, and public works.

  4. Major Policy Reversal from Past Practice. For decades, New York rebated nearly all of the stock transfer tax, benefiting financial markets and New York City’s economy. This bill represents a significant departure from that approach, ending the historic linkage between the tax and local government support (especially for New York City) and instead prioritizing statewide infrastructure needs.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Use Stock Tax for Infrastructure

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Zellnor Myrie

Senator · Senate District 20

Chair, Elections

History

  1. Referred to budget and revenue
  2. Referred to budget and revenue

Full text

4 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

3315

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

February 5, 2019

Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Budget and Revenue

AN ACT to amend the tax law, in relation to rebates on stock transfer tax paid; to amend the state finance law, in relation to the funds of the stock transfer tax fund and the dedicated infrastructure investment fund

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 280-a of the tax law, as amended by chapter 578 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:

1. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision fifteen of this section, where a tax shall have been paid under this article a portion of the amount paid shall be allowed as a rebate and such portion shall be paid to the taxpayer but only to the extent that moneys are available for the payment of such rebates in the stock transfer incentive fund established pursuant to section ninety-two-i of the state finance law. The portion of the amount of tax paid which is to be allowed as a rebate shall be thirty percent of the tax incurred and paid on transactions subject to the stock transfer tax occurring on and after October first, nineteen hundred seventy-nine and on or before September thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty and sixty percent of the tax incurred and paid on such transactions occurring on and after October first, nineteen hundred eighty and on or before September thirtieth, nineteen hundred eighty-one and all of the amount of tax incurred and paid shall be allowed as a rebate on transactions subject to the stock transfer tax occurring on and after October first, nineteen hundred eighty-one and on or before September thirtieth, two thousand twenty and sixty percent of the amount of tax incurred and paid shall be allowed as a rebate on transactions subject to the stock transfer tax occurring on and after October first, two thousand twenty.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD03609-01-9

S. 3315 2

§ 2. Section 92-b of the state finance law, as added by chapter 91 of the laws of 1965 and as renumbered and subdivision 5 as added by chapter 3 of the laws of 1966, subdivision 3 as amended by chapter 878 of the laws of 1977, subdivision 4 as amended by chapter 724 of the laws of 1979 and subdivision 7 as added by section 10 of part SS1 of chapter 57 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:

§ 92-b. Stock transfer tax fund. 1. There is hereby established in the custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance a special fund, to be known as the stock transfer tax fund.

2. Such fund shall consist of the revenues derived from the stock transfer tax imposed by article twelve of the tax law and all other moneys credited or transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law.

3. The moneys received from such tax and other sources in such fund[, after deducting the amount the commissioner of taxation and finance shall determine to be necessary for] shall be used to cover the reasonable costs of the state tax commission in administering, collecting and distributing [such] the stock transfer tax, commencing with the fiscal year ending March thirty-first, [nineteen hundred seventy-seven] two thousand twenty, [shall be appropriated to (i) the municipal assistance corporation for the city of New York created pursuant to title three of article ten of the public authorities law in order to enable such corporation to fulfill the terms of any agreements made with the holders of its notes and bonds and to carry out its corporate purposes including the maintenance of the capital reserve fund and (ii) to the extent such moneys are not required by such corporation as provided in subdivision seven of section ninety-two-d of this chapter and, after deducting the amount such commissioner shall determine to be necessary for reasonable costs of the state tax commission in administering and making distributions in accordance with the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law from the stock transfer incentive fund, to the stock transfer incentive fund created pursuant to section ninety-two-i of this chapter to enable rebates to be made from such fund under the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law and (iii) to the extent such moneys are not required by such fund, as certified by the commissioner of taxation and finance, the balance shall be appropriated to the city of New York, for the support of local government] and the remainder shall be deposited into the account for the dedicated infrastructure investment fund as established by section ninety-three-b of this article.

4. [After the deduction of such costs of the state tax commission in administering, collecting and distributing such tax, the balances in the stock transfer tax fund so appropriated shall be distributed and paid on the last business day of September, December, March and June into the special account established for the municipal assistance corporation for the city of New York in the municipal assistance tax fund established pursuant to subdivision one of section ninety-two-d of this chapter, unless and to the extent the balances in such fund on each such payment day are not required by such corporation as provided in said subdivision seven of said section ninety-two-d in which case the balance not so required, if any, after the deduction of such costs of the state tax commission in administering and making distributions in accordance with the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law from the stock transfer incentive fund shall be distributed and paid to the stock transfer incentive fund in the custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance established pursuant to section ninety-two-i of this chapter

S. 3315 3

and unless and to the extent that the balances in the stock transfer tax fund on each such payment day are not required by the stock transfer incentive fund as provided in such section ninety-two-i of this chapter in which case the balance not so required, if any, shall be distributed and paid to the chief fiscal officer of the city of New York to be paid into the treasury of the city to the credit of the general fund or paid by the commissioner of taxation and finance to such other account or fund as may be designated in writing by such chief fiscal officer at least ten business days prior to such last day and on each such day, the commissioner of taxation and finance shall certify to the comptroller the amount deducted for administering, collecting and distributing such tax during such quarterly period and shall pay such amount into the general fund of the state treasury to the credit of the state purposes fund therein. In no event shall any amount (other than the amount to be deducted for administering, collecting and distributing such tax) be distributed or paid from the stock transfer tax fund to any person other than the municipal assistance corporation for the city of New York unless and until the aggregate of all payments certified to the comptroller as required by such corporation in order to comply with its agreements with the holders of its notes and bonds and to carry out its corporate purposes, including the maintenance of the capital reserve fund, which remain unappropriated or unpaid to such corporation shall have been appropriated to such corporation and shall have been paid in full provided, however, that no person, including such corporation or the holders of its notes or bonds shall have any lien on such tax and such agreements shall be executory only to the extent of the balances available to the state in such fund. If the balances in such fund are not required by such corporation pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, on each such last business day of September, December, March and June, the commissioner of taxation and finance shall certify to the comptroller the amount deducted for administering and making distributions in accordance with the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law from the stock transfer incentive fund during such quarterly period and he shall pay such amount into the general fund of the state treasury to the credit of the state purposes fund therein. To the extent such moneys are not required by such corporation, as provided in subdivision seven of section ninety-two-d of this chapter, no amount thereof (other than such amount to be deducted for administering, collecting and distributing such tax and such costs in administering and making distributions in accordance with the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law from the stock transfer incentive fund) shall be distributed or paid from the stock transfer tax fund other than to such stock transfer incentive fund in the custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance unless and until the aggregate of all payments certified to the comptroller by such commissioner pursuant to the provisions of such incentive fund as necessary to provide payments on account of rebates authorized pursuant to section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law which remain unappropriated or unpaid to such fund shall have been appropriated to such fund and shall have been paid in full provided, however, that no person, including any taxpayer under article twelve of the tax law or any member or dealer referred to in subdivisions two-a and six of section two hundred eighty-a of such law, shall have any lien on this fund or the stock transfer incentive fund.

5. In no fiscal year shall the total amount paid from the fund exceed the total collections during such fiscal year from the stock transfer

S. 3315 4

tax pursuant to the provisions of article twelve of the tax law and as deposited to the credit of the stock transfer tax fund.

6.] All payments from the stock transfer tax fund shall be made on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers approved by the commissioner of taxation and finance.

[7. When all the notes and bonds of the municipal assistance corporation for the city of New York have been fully paid and discharged, together with interest thereon and interest on unpaid installments of interest, and the chairman of the corporation makes the final certification required by subdivision seven of section ninety-two-d of this article, the comptroller must notify the commissioner of taxation and finance that all remaining funds held in the stock transfer tax fund must be released to the stock transfer incentive fund. From that time forward, all funds previously deposited in the stock transfer tax fund pursuant to subdivision two of this section will be deposited directly into the stock transfer incentive fund pursuant to all the rules, regulations or instructions that the commissioner may prescribe, after deducting the amount the commissioner determines to be necessary for reasonable costs of the department in administering, collecting and distributing the tax imposed by article twelve of the tax law. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, to the extent those moneys are not required by the stock transfer incentive fund for the purpose of administering and making distributions in accordance with the provisions of section two hundred eighty-a of the tax law, as certified by the commissioner of taxation and finance, the balance will be appropriated to the city of New York for the support of local government.]

§ 3. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 1 of section 93-b of the state finance law, as added by section 1 of part H of chapter 60 of the laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:

(c) Sources of funds. The sources of funds shall consist of all moneys collected therefor, or moneys credited, appropriated or transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law or any other moneys made available for the purposes of the fund, including but not limited to funds transferred from the stock transfer tax fund pursuant to subdivision three of section ninety-two-b of this article. Any interest received by the comptroller on moneys on deposit shall be retained and become part of the fund, unless otherwise directed by law.

§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to amend the tax law, in relation to rebates on stock transfer tax paid; to amend the state finance law, in relation to the funds of the stock transfer tax fund and the dedicated infrastructure investment fund

Purpose

Since at least 1915, New York has imposed a tax on the sale of securi- ties. Nonetheless, the securities industry flourished in the State. The State began rebating the tax in 1979 so that it is now 100% rebated back to the industry. As explained below, the 100% rebate is no longer justi- fiable. New York State has failing infrastructure state-wide. We have not committed to raising revenue to support our infrastructure needs, therefore we must raise revenue to address them.

Summary of provisions

The rebate would be 60% of the tax collected. Accordingly, $6.4 billion in revenue would be raised. All funds netted after the administration of the collection are dedicated to the Dedicated Infrastructure Investment Fund.

Justification

The tax was essentially repealed as part of the over-exuberance about stimulating the economy through tax cuts and unleashing the financial sector. As Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who has writ- ten in favor of the tax, explained in 2013, that economic philosophy encouraged speculation, did not promote investment, led to economic collapse, and simply transferred wealth from the middle class to the top of the economic spectrum, increasing unemployment and income inequality to unprecedented levels. Stiglitz observed: "A major change occurred in markets around the turn of this century: most trading (some 61 percent in 2009, 53 percent in 2010) on the stock exchange was done by computers trading with other computers, using certain algorithms. Offers to buy and sell were based not on market research, on informed views about the prospects of, say, steel or the efficiency of a particular steel compa- ny, but rather in extracting information from the pattern of prices and trades, and on whatever other information a computer could absorb and process on the fly.... The financial sector has imposed enormous exter- nalities costs it does not pay for on the rest of society. The total costs of the financial crisis for which they bear significant responsi- bility is in the trillions of dollars. Flash trading and other specu- lation may create volatility, but not really create value: the overall efficiency of the market economy may even be reduced. Through our bail- outs and a myriad of hidden subsidies, we have in fact been effectively subsidizing the financial sector." Other countries have imposed this tax without any reduction in productivity or efficiency, including Germany, the leading economy in Europe, England, Japan, and Australia, to name only a few. The revenue is needed to fund rebuilding our deteriorating infrastructure, scientific research, and education, all of which have proven historically to cause economic growth, raise the earning power of the middle class, which stimulates the economy, and raise many individ- uals from the poor into the middle class.

Legislative history

2017/18

Fiscal implications

As indicated above.

Effective date

Immediately

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.