People here always say the taxes are the highest in the country, but I'm not sure that's true.
8.875% sales tax
Property tax varies A LOT, by both county, and type of property, family size, if you rent out, etc. I know some areas people say they pay really low property tax, and some areas pay very high taxes, I have no idea if that's in comparison to other NY areas or the country in general. Areas with higher taxes get things like Christmas lights hanging from their street lights and parades and really fancy school plays. Lower tax areas still have good schools, public services, etc. No one here gets good highway (or back road) maintenance, but that's more of a reflection on the horrendous superintendent of the highway dept. than taxes.
It really, really, REALLY depends on the specific area in NY you're looking in. Overall, I like the state, even if it's very expensive, we get a ton of benefits. My only complaints are that MORE of our tax dollars don't go to schools.
Also, I think this is the whole country, but not sure, for certain weeks in spring and fall there is no sales tax on clothing and footwear.
There is also an additional tax in NYC on top of the state taxes, but for all the free stuff we get I definitely think it's worth it.