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Could Alison Badgett’s article, “Housing-Killer,” (PostOpinion, May 25) be more misleading?

State legislation to require prevailing wages on large residential buildings that now get $930 million of tax breaks specifically exempts smaller buildings and those for mostly affordable housing.

It covers larger buildings whose tenants are mostly well-off and include a roster of celebrities. Why should they get tax breaks paid for by ordinary New Yorkers without any larger economic benefit to the people of the city?

Many of these buildings already pay prevailing wages — the wages and benefits for health insurance and retirement security most commonly paid to construction workers — because good developers and contractors choose to. But many bad ones don’t.

All this legislation does is say if we’re going to use taxpayer funds on big projects, let’s make sure everyone shares in the benefits, not just the millionaire bankers, real-estate barons and contractors from Badgett’s group.

Paul Fernandes

Chief of Staff
Building & Construction
Trades Council of
Greater New York
Manhattan

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