Gov. Andrew Cuomo put the kibosh on the Senate Democrats’ proposed property tax cap circuit breaker, which has also been endorsed by a number of taxpayer advocacy groups.

“A circuit breaker is a different purpose, a legitimate purpose, but it is just different from a property tax cap across the board,” Cuomo told reporters this afternoon.

“I believe the state needs a property tax cap. I believe in fiscal discipline for the local governments. And I believe that applies to all taxpayers. Regardless of income. I believe taxes are too high in New York, and we are chasing people from their homes, all across the board.”

“…The rate of spending is unsustainable, it is just a fact,” the governor added later. “You look at the rate of increase and you can’t sustain it. Either on the state level or the local level.”

“(A) circuit breaker would say you can’t sustain it for some people. I say: No, you can’t sustain it for any people. Any people. And that is why I am for an overall property tax cap as opposed to a circuit breaker. Also, I think it is a powerful statement for this state to make.”

Cuomo also talked a bit about the “dramatic” ethics reform he’s working on with legislative leaders, although he didn’t offer much in the way of details on that, other than to say: “Is dramatic reform hard to accept and hard to pass? Yes. And we are working through it.”

The governor said he doesn’t think there will be any “surprises” in his budget, but did reveal that it is “not going to be just about the numbers.”

“It’s about the point in time,” Cuomo said. “It’s about where we are, and I believe this is a point in time where we have to change – fundamentally – our behavior.”

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