The Albany County Legislature voted down a proposal to eliminate the county's sales tax on clothing at a meeting Monday night.
The measure would've cut the county's 4% sales tax for all clothing and shoes, as long as they cost less than $110.
The law was voted down largely along party lines. All Republicans voted for the measure, and all but one Democrat voted against it.
County Legislator Mark Grimm, who proposed the measure, says the tax cuts would help financially struggling families and allow retailers in Albany County to offer lower prices than their competitors in neighboring counties.
"It speaks directly to the affordability crisis that we're we're encountering now, so it's it's a win-win," Grimm said in an interview before the vote. "And the merchants are for it, of course, because they can sell their their wares for less money because they don't have to put in the sales tax."
But members of the legislature's Democratic majority said now was the wrong time to cut taxes given federal cuts to programs like SNAP.
"We have chaos in Washington," Reindhart said on the legislature floor before the vote. "The Republican Congress is messing with so many things, and the presidency is messing with so many things. None of us really know exactly how bad it's going to be next year."
New York State eliminated its sales tax on clothing items under $110 in 2012 and gave local governments the option to do the same. Since then, 10 counties and New York City have eliminated their clothing sales tax.
