Memo of Support
S.6791-A (Kaplan) / A.7788-A (Zebrowski)

MACNY – The Manufacturers Association of CNY supports S.6791-A (Kaplan) / A.7788-A (Zebrowski) that would provide New York state employers significant relief from increased payroll taxes paid into the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) fund.

This legislation would reduce employers’ UI taxes in 2022 by $177 to $250 per employee, depending on the employer’s prior UI experience rating, with somewhat lesser reductions in 2023. It also would restore the annual increases in the maximum unemployment insurance benefits adopted in 2013 UI reform legislation, setting the maximum benefit at 40 percent of the state average week wage in 2022 and 42 percent in 2023.

As of today, the state’s UI account remains more than $9 billion in debt, due to federal advances that were necessary to continue to pay unprecedented levels of UI benefits, driven by the sudden and significant job losses that occurred during New York’s mandatory business closures during the pandemic – many imposed in March 2020. As employers continue to struggle to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this legislation would provide important short-term tax relief.

For reasons state above, MACNY supports this legislation, and all measures that would help address New York’s UI funding emergency.