POUGHKEEPSIE—In honor of Tax Day, I called up Assemblyman Bill Colton to talk about a bill he's pushing to list tax scofflaws on a state website.
"This is about balancing, and about shaming people who don't do their fair share," Colton said. According to the bill individuals owe the state a total of $1.2 billion in back taxes, and $88 million owed by businesses. That would have come in handy during recent budget negotiations.
Colton said other states, including California and Connecticut, have similar lists online. He wants to publish the names of the 250 individuals and businesses that owe the most money.
"They have collected significant amounts of money from doing this in other states," he said.
His bill is before the Assembly Ways & Means Committee; there is no Senate sponsor.
