New York’s high tax burden is driven by local property taxes–NOT by state income taxes. In fact, our property taxes are 40% higher than the national average.
So what can we do about this problem? Turn up heat on Gov Paterson. The Omnibus Property Tax Relief and Reform Act, now before the NY State Legislature, needs your support!
The Omnibus Bill provides property tax relief and reform as follows:
1) Through an income tax credit, the bill’s circuit breaker will protect lower and middle income homeowners from unreasonable burdens caused by extraordinary increases in their individual tax bills as well as from loss of income available to pay them. It will immediately REDUCE the property tax for NYS’s most overburdened homeowners and help them keep their homes while the use of that archaic tax itself is gradually reduced.
2) The bill’s reform component will gradually replace much of the schools property tax with state funding derived from income or other broad-based taxes more closely aligned to an ability to pay, promoting a fairer taxation system as well as greater funding equity among school districts. It will also repair the state’s broken commitment to revenue sharing with local governments and provide additional Medicaid funding, all in a fiscally responsible way, to reduce pressure on the property tax.
Property tax relief is urgent and property tax reform must follow promptly. This bill does both. Your faxes, calls (& emails) should start immediately. We need to keep up the pressure and not let our issue fall through the cracks.
Contact the Gov. David Paterson to let him know you support property tax reform now:
Fax: 518-474-1513 (best!)
Phone: 518-474-8390 (2nd best)
Email: www.ny.gov/governor (3rd best)
Message to Gov. Paterson:
“Thank you for agreeing to sign a middle income circuit breaker bill. Please help get it through the legislature and sign it this session.”
Read Susan Zimet’s resolution for property tax reform here
FOR MORE INFO ON LOCAL & STATE EFFORTS FOR PROP. TAX REFORM:
Carole Kraus-Leader, Property Tax Reform Task Force
info@hvpropertytaxreform.org
www.hvpropertytaxreform.org
845.687.2097
Carole is also the coordinator of NYState Property Tax Reform Coalition at
info@nyspropertytaxreform.org
www.nyspropertytaxreform.org
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