Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C-East Aurora), a practicing small businessman, blamed New York’s hostile business climate for the 20 year high in unemployment for the Buffalo-Niagara Region. The Labor Department last week reported that the region’s unemployment for January was 9.6 percent.

“Like many of my fellow small-business owners, our family business has been around for decades, and we have seen the costs of doing business rise in New York State,” DiPietro said. “The climate here is not conducive to starting a small business or expanding a business or hiring more employees. We need to take a hard look at our policies, because the taxation rate and the regulations surrounding these businesses hurt everyone in the state. Finding employment in New York shouldn’t be this difficult. Honest people are looking for work and we should be there to help them find it. It’s time we made New York employment-friendly by making New York small-business friendly. We need lower taxes, less regulation and a new beginning if we truly want New York open for business.”

The American Legislative Exchange Council has ranked New York State last in economic outlook every year from 2009 to 2012. The last year New York was not rated last was 2008, when it ranked 49th. The failure to attract and maintain a business-friendly climate is due to 15 factors, including high taxes and generous welfare benefits. Assemblyman DiPietro is a co-sponsor of A.806, which creates an income tax credit for employers who employ individuals previously receiving unemployment.

For more information about DiPietro, please contact his district office at (585) 786-0180. He can also be reached via e-mail at dipietrod@assembly.state.ny.us. DiPietro can be found on Facebook as Assemblyman David DiPietro. For those unemployed currently seeking employment, please visit the New York Department of Labor at http://www.labor.ny.gov/jobs/regional.shtm.