PEF President Wayne Spence issued the following statement on Oct. 19, 2026:
The more than 65,000 members of the New York State Public Employees Federation join with other elected officials and stakeholders to oppose the resolution coming before the Albany Common Council to seek State Legislative authorization to establish a tax on earnings for non-residents who work within the City of Albany.
This resolution is ill-conceived and fails to recognize the positive economic impact workers who travel to Albany make by paying for parking, meals, shopping, and entertainment. Reducing the disposable income of workers who travel to Albany to make up for the city’s long-standing structural budget deficit is only a distraction from the city council’s responsibility to work with State Legislators on sensible solutions to balance the budget. If adopted, this proposal will only hurt the city of Albany and those working families who live outside the city limits.
For these reasons, PEF opposes any attempt by the City of Albany to target workers who travel into the city with an additional tax burden.