FY 2025 EXECUTIVE BUDGET BRIEFING BOOK
Over the past two years, the State’s nancial position
has strengthened signicantly. Reserves have
increased to the highest levels in history, debt levels
remain nearly at at less than 1 percent growth over
the past decade, historic liquidity levels are delivering
high investment returns, and new reserves have
been established for future costs. The extraordinary
inux of resources during the post-COVID-19 period
fueled these nancial achievements and allowed
the State to make historic investments to adequately
fund essential services and programs. These
investments include fully funding the Foundation Aid
formula; expanding access to mental health services;
increasing assistance to hospitals, other health care
providers and workers; addressing the solvency of
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA);
aiding the City of New York for the provision of care
for thousands of asylum seekers; increasing wages;
supporting health care delivery improvements;
increasing recurring support for the State University
of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York
(CUNY); addressing gun crime and violence; and
expanding access to child care, housing, school
lunches and energy aordability.
Roughly half of the State Operating Funds budget
supports the State’s two largest program areas –
health care and education. Spending for assistance
and grants in FY 2025 is projected to be nearly $23
billion (32 percent) higher than the level recorded
in FY 2022
1
. Roughly two-thirds of the estimated
growth is concentrated in health care and education,
reecting historic, recurring funding increases for
schools and the health care system. While the
State’s investments over the past two years recur,
the elevated levels of tax receipts that initially
supported the increased funding do not. Following
two-years of substantially stronger tax collections,
New York began to experience a precipitous drop
in tax receipts beginning in FY 2024. The updated
projections for tax receipts
2
in the current year are
expected to decline by 7.8 percent from FY 2023
levels, followed by growth of 2.5 percent in FY 2025
from this lower base. This decline in tax receipts was
also experienced by the Federal government and
other states that rely on personal income taxes as a
signicant share of their revenues.
The long-term, historical average annual growth rate
for tax receipts, which support roughly
80 percent of State Operating Funds spending, is
roughly 4 percent. Tax receipts are projected to grow
on average by 4 percent annually over the Financial
Plan period from FY 2024 levels, while spending is
projected to grow by just over 5 percent on average
through FY 2028, resulting in a structural imbalance.
Accordingly, in preparing the FY 2025 Executive
Budget, the structural General Fund budget gaps
required the State to evaluate multi-year growth
assumptions across all programs to ensure long-term
sustainability within projected resources.
The FY 2025 Executive Budget proposal reduces
the multi-year budget gaps and provides for
balanced General Fund operations on a cash basis
in FY 2025, while preserving existing commitments
and funding new investments to address critical
needs. Proposed savings initiatives are intended to
prudently use resources from New York taxpayers
to continue support for investments made over the
past two years in education, physical and mental
health care, public safety, economic stability, and
environmental protection; and continue to ensure
assistance is available for individuals and entities
with demonstratable need. The Executive Budget
also includes new funding for services and initiatives
consistent with announcements made by the
Governor in her State of the State plan presented on
January 9, 2024. In addition, State Medicaid spending
is increased, consistent with the recently approved
1115 Medicaid Waiver Amendment, and expanded
support to assist the City of New York with aiding
asylum seekers.
In this Financial Plan, DOB is increasing the estimate
for tax receipts and other resources in all years
from the levels forecasted in the Mid-Year Update.
The projection for General Fund tax receipts, over
the multi-year Financial Plan, excluding proposed
extensions, is revised upward by $5.9 billion from
the forecast included in the Mid-Year Update. In the
current year (FY 2024), the upward revision in tax
receipts, combined with the reserve for transaction
risk that was set aside for FY 2024, and other
1
Excludes roughly $3 billion in one-time COVID-19 pandemic assistance and grants spending.
2
Tax receipts and General Fund balance are aected by the Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET); however, DOB expects
that the PTET will, on a multi-year basis, be revenue neutral for the State. The discussion of tax receipts throughout
the Financial Plan Overview exclude the impact of PTET, unless otherwise noted.