Watch List: Taxing Issues

A Taxing Situation

That 911 surcharge you pay on your monthly phone bill? Yeah, not so much about 911.

The Associated Press recently reported New York lags behind other states in its 911 services, despite residents here paying one of the highest monthly surcharges. (A 2008 Syracuse.com report found that, of a $1.20 monthly fee, a mere 6 cents made it to 911. The rest went into the general fund.)

Raiding the coffers is commonplace in New Jersey, too, where $1.4 billion has been collected since 2004, yet only 15 percent of that has made it to 911, NJ.com reports.

The Test is the Thing

Speaking of things designed to keep you safe: The FCC/FEMA mandatory, national test of the Emergency Alert System took place on Sept. 28, just in time for hurricane season.

The bad news? Long Island’s largest radio broadcaster failed the test, as the alert did not air on any of Connoisseur Media of Long Island’s five stations.

The good news? They’re working to fix whatever the heck happened.

The better news? It wasn’t an actual emergency.

But, What are the Taxes?

While Altice is working to create a bare-bones workplace at the company formerly known as Cablevision, its CEO is shelling out $31 million for a home that, apparently, just isn’t grand enough. Read it here.