Rochester, N.Y. - Under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget plan, families with at least one child, making $40,000 to $300,000 will get a rebate check for $350.
According to the 2011 U.S. Census Data, there are about 71,000 families in the Rochester area who fall into that category.
The average family makes about $64,000.
Of those households, 12% make more than $100,000.
Chief Economist, Kent Gardner with the Center For Governmental Research said this picture is not unusual for Rochester.
Gardner said that’s because of a history of large companies that paid a decent wage, but that's changing.
“We have seen that fall over time with some large firms. Obviously Kodak has shrunk and some of those high wage jobs come down,” Gardner said.
Because of lower paying jobs, some families are left out of the rebate program.
Lawmakers said they're still working on details of the bill.
“We haven't seen any actual perimeters for income limits so there's still some discussion, but I'm optimistic that the middle class will see some tax relief,” Democratic state Senator Ted O’Brien said.
“Overall, we were able to be fiscally responsible and help people to some degree all across the board,” Republican state Senator Joe Robach said.
Still, many taxpayers are wondering how $300,000 is considered middle class.
Experts say it's all about location.
“If you come from Manhattan, given how ridiculously expensive it is to live in New York City, it's certainly not middle class in Monroe County,” Gardner said.
Lawmakers are expected to work through the weekend to vote on the budget.
