New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued the following statement on Governor David Paterson’s budget announcement this afternoon:

I commend David Paterson for his dedication to achieving a budget compromise in the short time he has served as Governor. I also congratulate his colleagues in the New York State Senate and Assembly for working together to pass this budget.

The Governor has acknowledged that while the budget may have some flaws, he will begin work immediately on next year’s fiscal plan.

My office will now thoroughly review the budget to determine its impact on New York City.  However, based on my preliminary review, I am pleased with several changes from the initial Executive Budget plan, particularly the increase in education funding for New York City and in revenue sharing to fund a host of projects that will benefit the City.

In this fiscal climate, I particularly want to thank the Governor and our State legislators for issuing a budget that does not increase personal income taxes.  All of us share the same work ahead: we must do more with less, and this is evident by the State’s belt-tightening.

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