Syracuse, N.Y. — New York's long-held reputation as one of the highest taxed states in the nation won't disappear overnight, but business groups say Gov. Andrew Cuomo's tax-cut proposals are a good start.

Robert Simpson, president of Syracuse-based CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, said it will take a long time to change the kind of reputation that New York has developed over the decades.

"It's no surprise," he said. "Every magazine and newspaper around the country has written about the fact that New York has among the highest taxes in the country."

But Cuomo's proposals this week to reduce business taxes, combined with the recently implemented tax-free zones for new companies under his START-UP NY program, send a signal to employers that the state is serious about changing that reputation, Simpson said.

"That does have an impact," he said. "No question about it."

The business tax cuts proposed by Cuomo are part of a $2 billion tax relief plan he presented at his State of the State address Wednesday.

Cuomo proposed, among other things, to freeze property taxes for two years, trim the estate tax, cut the corporate franchise tax, eliminate corporate income taxes for Upstate manufacturers, accelerate the elimination of utility surcharges for businesses, and create a refundable credit against corporate and personal income taxes that would be equal to 20 percent of a manufacturing firm's annual real property taxes.

Simpson said the division president of a global manufacturer told him this week that his company previously would not even consider New York as a place to open a plant. But the executive said that would change if New York implements Cuomo's proposed tax reductions, Simpson said.

"Taxes are certainly not the only factor companies consider," said Simpson. "There are other factors, but statistics don't lie. Businesses have been leaving the state."

Randy Wolken, president of the Manufacturers Alliance of New York State, said the state's reputation will change when companies see its business environment heading in the right direction. And broad-based tax reductions like the ones proposed by Cuomo will be viewed as very business friendly, he said.

"You're starting to see a trend of lower taxes," he said.

Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, said the broadness of the business tax cuts proposed by Cuomo are what make them so different from previous attempts by the state to change its high-tax reputation.

Previous programs, including the newest, START-UP NY, benefit relatively few companies, and thus have less impact, she said. Cuomo's proposals would make New York "the most or one of the most business-friendly states," she said.

"We much prefer broad-based tax relief," she said.

Contact Rick Moriarty at rmoriarty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3148. Follow him on Twitter @RickMoriartyCNY and on Facebook at rick.moriarty.92.