Not surprisingly, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos quickly shot down the Assembly’s revival of a millionaires tax extension, calling the issue all but dead.

“It’s over with. There’s not going to be a millionaires tax, a so-called millionaires tax passed,” he said.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced the re-introduction of the tax proposal late Tuesday — reviving a battle that was had during the budget. Both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Republicans opposed the measure, saying it amounted to a tax increase.

Silver, in a statement Wednesday, said the tax was needed in order to offset cuts to education. Liberal lawmakers had hoped that once the full impact of the $1.2 billion in cuts were felt to education, support would gather for the surcharge.

However, Skelos told reporters this afternoon that with 93 percent of school budgets being approved Tuesday, the tax was the wrong approach.

“We’ve seen with these school budgets 93 percent pass with the understanding that the (property tax) cap is potentially coming. I don’t think taxing and now increasing spending is necessary.”

Share|