KBRA Assigns AAA Rating, Stable Outlook to New York State Thruway Authority State Personal Income Tax Revenue Bonds Series 2025A (Tax-Exempt) and State Personal Income Tax Revenue Green Bonds Series 2025B (Climate Bond Certified) (Tax-Exempt)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KBRA assigns a long-term rating of AAA with a Stable Outlook to the New York State Thruway Authority State Personal Income Tax Revenue Bonds Series 2025A (Tax-Exempt) and State Personal Income Tax Revenue Green Bonds Series 2025B (Climate Bond Certified) (Tax-Exempt). Concurrently, KBRA affirms the AAA rating and Stable Outlook on outstanding New York State Personal Income Tax Revenue Bonds issued by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

Key Credit Considerations

The rating was assigned because of the following key credit considerations:

Credit Positives

• Provisions of the PIT Enabling Act and the importance of PIT revenues to State operations mitigate the risk of legislative non-appropriation of financing agreement payments or a failure to pay such payments when due after amounts have been appropriated and set aside in the RBTF.
• RBTF Receipts provide ample historical and projected coverage of maximum annual debt service.
• A strong 2.0x MADS additional bonds test, as well as the importance of residual PIT revenues to fund State operations, provide strong offsets against the possibility of overleveraging of the PIT credit.

Credit Challenges

• PIT receipts, particularly the non-withholding component, are inherently volatile and closely correlated to the income of wealthy residents and the performance of the financial sector. The share of PIT receipts related to net capital gains is significant.
• PIT receipts are disproportionately generated by the State’s highest-earning taxpayers. The potential exists for continued outmigration of this component of the PIT revenue base.
• Financing agreement payments are subject to annual appropriation and executory only to the extent of amounts available in the RBTF. The potential for a diversion in the flow of RBTF Receipts in the event of a budgetary delay or a severe fiscal distress, while not non-existent, is extremely remote, in KBRA’s view.

Rating Sensitivities

For Upgrade

• N/A

For Downgrade

• A trend of declining debt service coverage that approaches the 2.0x ABT level.
• A failure by the State Legislature to annually appropriate amounts required to make financing agreement payments.
• Actions by the State to amend, repeal or alter statutes relating to the Personal Income Tax (Articles 22, 24 and 24-A of the Tax Law), or the State Personal Income Tax Revenue Bond Financing Program that negatively impact revenues available for financing agreement payments.

To access ratings and relevant documents, click here.

Methodologies

• Public Finance: U.S. Special Tax Revenue Bond Rating Methodology
• Public Finance: U.S. State Annual Appropriation Obligation Rating Methodology
• ESG Global Rating Methodology

Disclosures

A description of all substantially material sources that were used to prepare the credit rating and information on the methodology(ies) (inclusive of any material models and sensitivity analyses of the relevant key rating assumptions, as applicable) used in determining the credit rating is available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) located here.

Information on the meaning of each rating category can be located here.

Further disclosures relating to this rating action are available in the Information Disclosure Form(s) referenced above. Additional information regarding KBRA policies, methodologies, rating scales and disclosures are available at www.kbra.com.

About KBRA

Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA), one of the major credit rating agencies (CRA), is a full-service CRA registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an NRSRO. Kroll Bond Rating Agency Europe Limited is registered as a CRA with the European Securities and Markets Authority. Kroll Bond Rating Agency UK Limited is registered as a CRA with the UK Financial Conduct Authority. In addition, KBRA is designated as a Designated Rating Organization (DRO) by the Ontario Securities Commission for issuers of asset-backed securities to file a short form prospectus or shelf prospectus. KBRA is also recognized as a Qualified Rating Agency by Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission and is recognized by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners as a Credit Rating Provider (CRP) in the U.S.

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