Budget is an affront to sportsmen
Assemblyman Jack Quinn (R, C, I, WFHamburg) expressed outrage and frustration over the alarmingly disproportional burden that has been placed on Western New York sportsmen in the 2009 New York State Budget.
"In an effort to pay for the exorbitant downstate spending programs,my democratic colleagues have chosen to increase the fees for hunting, fishing, and lifetime senior sportsmen licenses,” stated Quinn.
Some of the individual increases contained in this year’s budget include a 52 percent increase for both small game and big game hunting and fishing licenses, a 27 percent increase for a general sportsman license, and an astonishing 1,400 percent increase for a lifetime senior sportsman license for seniors between the ages of 65 and 69.
“It seems to me that these fee increases are a direct attack on the culture and pastimes of Upstate New York, imposed by both Downstate-controlled houses of the Legislature and the Governor.” Quinn added, “To single out seniors in their late 60s, living on fixed incomes who choose to remain in Western New York, by increasing their sportsman license fee from a manageable $50 to an outrageous $765 is borderline criminal.”
The increased fees go into effect the first of October and are especially being felt as other budget imposed fees are being implemented on utilities, car registrations, and business licenses.
Assemblyman Quinn voted no on all 14 parts of this year’s budget. All the hunting, fishing, motor vehicle, and other fees were included in the more than $8.5 billion in tax and fee increases approved by Governor Paterson and the Senate and Assembly Democrats, as part of the 2009-10 state budget that is already over $2 billion out of balance. The Legislature is expected to be called back sometime before the scheduled start of the 2010 Legislative Session in January to address the growing budget gap.
“The solution to our problems is not to tax more, when the people of New York collectively have less, said Quinn, adding “the soiution is to drastically curtail spending and ease the state-imposed tax burden on the individuals, families, seniors, and businesses that are already facing an unprecedented economic environment.”