Transparency You Can Actually See Through

'See Through NY' Sheds New Light On How Tax Dollars Are Spent

Hey, its your money! Want to know how its being spend?

Well, just in case you're curious, there's a website out there, sponsored by the Empire Center for New York State Policy, that collects and shares data and information on state and local spending.

SeeThroughNY, "designed to become the hub of a statewide network through which taxpayers can share, analyze and compare data from counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts and public authorities throughout New York," offers insight into where your tax dollars are going, and going, and going.

From payrolls to expenditures to effective property tax rates [WARNING: Sticker shock may cause blood pressure to rise higher than your local property tax], its all there for you to see and digest -- we'll provide the antacid.

Together with NY State's Project Sunlight, an initiative we've highlighted previously on this blog, SeeThroughNY gives taxpayers the data and crunches the numbers, all of which should (with emphasis on should) give New Yorkers not only the knowledge, but the impetus, to make the most of our tax dollars -- or at least to vote out of office those who do not!