ALBANY (AP) - A proposed property tax cap supported by Gov. David Paterson, his expert tax-relief commission, and 72 percent of New Yorkers isn't likely to even reach the floor of the Legislature this session.

Powerful labor unions joined New York's teachers' unions Tuesday to kill the proposed limit on the growth of local property taxes. They say it would hurt schools despite record state aid increases, more than 70 percent of which pays for the salaries and benefits of those fighting the cap.

The school officials, advocates and union leaders say the cap would hurt classroom instruction and slow some recent progress improving student performance.

But Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, who headed Paterson's
committee, says that after years of rising taxes, the time for a
cap is now.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)