Empire Zone tax breaks revealed

Michelle Breidenbach and Mike McAndrew of the Syracuse Post-Standard report on the paper's victory in a lawsuit that forced New York state to reveal how it distributes $558 million in tax credits to businesses. "The state kept the dollar amounts secret for years, even as the public and state legislators questioned how some of the state's oldest companies managed to get into a program meant for new businesses." As a result of the lawsuit, the state of New York was forced to disclose the information, which revealed that wealthy power companies, mall developers and big box retail stores have grabbed the largest tax breaks from New York state's Empire Zone program.