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BALCONY joins Diverse Groups to Urge State Leaders to Put
Brakes on New Tax Cap Plan - Tax Caps will NOT Provide Any Relief, Will
Take Away Local Control and Hurt Local Services - Property Tax Groups
Plan to "Elevate" the Issue - Will Ride Capital Elevators to
Deliver Message
Albany, NY - A diverse array of organizations from across
NYS will ask our elected officials to rethink the 2% hard property tax
cap as the answer to our state's property tax woes. The tax cap will
not help the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers that are already
paying double digit percentages of their income in property taxes. Tax
Caps will also limit local control and severely hamper the delivery of
services in communities throughout this state. Many of the groups are
also urging state leaders to broaden the discussion to include tax
relief measures that would link property taxes to individual income in
the form of a circuit breaker.
"Since 2008 BALCONY, the Business and Labor Coalition
of New York, has been supportive of the Circuit Breaker approach to
property tax reform in New York State. This is the most equitable way
to protect middle income and working families from paying too much of
their income in property taxes. At the same time, we are opposed to a
property tax cap which would harm our state's students, our schools and
our families. An across the board property tax cap solution doesn't
work everywhere. One size does not fit all. Poorer districts would be
unable to raise the revenues they need to provide the education their
children deserve," stated BALCONY Director Lou Gordon.
BALCONY MEMBER Bill Samuels, Chairman of the Carlyle
Capital Group LLC and founder of the New Roosevelt Initiative stated,
"While I am a big supporter of increasing productivity,
streamlining state government, rational cost-cutting and controlling
property taxes over the long-term, New York will not become a top
destination for corporate investment and business relocation through
cuts alone. The willful decision to cut taxes for the wealthy in the
budget is part of the reason this oversimplified legislation is flawed
and painful. Education is the most important consideration for
businesses in either deciding to relocate to New York or to stay here,
and this legislation would have serious ramifications in this regard.
The tax cap is ill-timed and conceived and should be
tabled until later in the year, when there is more specificity on both
its ramifications and on mandate reform." Many believe that the
circuit breaker is the best mechanism to relieve the burden on
individual taxpayers and is desperately needed as a stop gap measure to
prevent more New Yorkers from losing their homes.
"A cap will not lower anyone's property tax bills,
and has the potential to seriously undermine public education and
emergency services, lowering home values in the process," said
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern). "We must ensure reform
provides actual tax relief while also protecting schools, public safety
and homeowners' equity, which is why a circuit breaker isn't just a
viable alternative, but truly the only viable option."
"New York State needs property tax relief now. All options need to
be on the table including a circuit breaker," said Assemblywoman
Michelle Schimel.
"The tax cap is a politically popular program that
will ultimately not have the effect of providing the desired tax relief
many New Yorkers desperately need," said Betsey Swan, President,
League of Women Voters of New York.
"Over the years, the state has cut personal income
taxes, mostly for the wealthy, the easy way, by shifting its costs to
counties and their property taxpayers. Not a bad deal for Albany: the
rich get a break, everyone keeps their services, and counties pay the
bills. We agree this can't go on, that property taxes are too high. But
a tax cap leaves them high, while mandate relief actually lowers
property taxes. It's about time the Governor and the Legislature kept
their promise: We need more than an IOU on mandate relief," said
Martha Robertson, Chair, Tompkins County Legislature.
NYS Assessors Association Director Tom Frey stated,
"The New York State Assessors' Association has long been in
support of the concept of a workable circuit breaker law. The ability
to ease the burden of property tax based on your ability to pay has
been successfully used with the Senior Citizen exemption for many
years. The problem with this exemption is that it only helps property
owners over 65 years of age and pushes the tax burden to the rest of
the taxpayers. With a circuit breaker that doesn't happen; the tax bill
is paid in full and then a credit on your state income tax or a refund
check provides the relief.
"The final question will be this: how will
legislators reconcile constituent expectations for tax relief with the
true cost of a tax cap that erodes the educational and economic
well-being of their home districts," stated Rick Longhurst,
Executive Administrator, NYS PTA.
"Many community members from throughout Westchester
County are OPPOSED to the Cuomo/Skelos/Silver tax cap proposal. While
we understand the need to contain taxes in New York State, we disagree
with proposal's means to achieve that end. The proposal, if enacted,
would severely erode public education in New York State," said
Arthur Rublin, Chair, The Coalition for Scarsdale Schools.
"Every form of proposed property tax cap strips local
governments of their ability to govern and manage to greater or lesser
extent. Property tax cap legislation is unnecessary, undemocratic,
unwise and unworkable in any form. State officials should stop looking
for a quick headline and leave local affairs to locally elected
officials and to the people who elect them," said Anthony Solfaro,
President, New York State Union of Police Associations, Inc.
The tax cap is ill-timed and conceived and should be
tabled until later in the year, when there is more specificity on both
its ramifications and on mandate reform."
"Whatever the perceived merits of the tax cap, it
will not provide property tax relief," stated John Whiteley of the
NYS Property Tax Reform Coalition. "The biggest problem today is
the individual burden faced by hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers
already paying unsustainable, double digit percentages of their income
in property tax. A stand alone cap will probably make their situation
worse. A circuit breaker is the only measure that will really help
them, and it is needed NOW. There are responsible ways to fund it, and
it must be an integral part of the discussions that will be taking
place on the property tax cap issue, along with mandate relief."
"How unfortunate that desperate property taxpayers
are being told that relief is coming in the form of a tax cap.
Government never ceases to fail the very public they are elected to
serve. How easy to offer sound bites yet how hard it will be to educate
our children and provide services to our communities. Senator Bonacic
(S4171) and Assemblywoman Jaffee (A7673) have offered a real solution
for tax relief with a revenue stream to pay for it. However, those who
by virtue of being millionaires and can afford to live in New York are
being taken care of. The rest of us are deemed irrelevant, "said
Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator and CEO of Zimet Group, Inc.
"The targeting of tax relief to those with the most
need based on income is a far more effective strategy than a simple cap
which would also drain resources for senior programs," stated
Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, Statewide Senior Action Council.
"A cap will only further cement a system that is
criticized by most everyone and it will widen the gap between the haves
and the have nots. Governor Christie of NJ learned the painful truth
that taxpayers figure these things out quickly enough and his falling poll
numbers reflect it," said Robert McKeon, TREND (Tax Reform Effort
of Northern Dutchess)
"The Cap, even with a substantial circuit breaker,
will disrupt and divide our state ...the cap without a substantial
circuit breaker would be an unmitigated disaster...and - when the
damage has been done- it will be too late for buyer's remorse.
said Gioia Shebar,Taxnightmare.org coordinator.
"Imposing a cap on property taxes will stunt student
progress, particularly in high needs districts where students are already
struggling. Last month, nearly 70% of districts in poor communities
failed to pass their school budgets with a super majority as required
by the proposal. On the heels of the devastating $1.3 billion cut to
schools a cap will deny resources and be an impediment to on -time
graduation for far too many children which will mean an even further
step backwards," said Nikki Jones, Alliance for Quality Education
Communications Director.
Ron Deutsch, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness said,
"We no longer seem to be debating issues in Albany. The property
tax discussion needs to be broadened. Just because the Governor
believes the Tax Cap is the answer does not make it so. We must
continue to look for the fairest and most equitable ways to fix our
upside down tax system that takes the pressure off of the property tax
and places it onto state taxes based on ability to pay."
"Let's be clear: tax caps will not lower anyone's
taxes. Tax caps will not help anyone who cannot afford their current
property taxes. Tax caps will not change the demand or need for local
services. In fact, during these recessionary years, we have seen a
strong increase in the need for government services, stated Harriet
Cornell, Chairwomen, Rockland County Legislature. "Governor Cuomo,
I support your initiative and determination, I support your leadership,
but I respectfully say that any tax cap legislation on local
governments like Rockland must take into account the costs we are
mandated to provide by the state and federal governments and make
adjustments accordingly-either by excluding all costs of programs
mandated by the state and federal governments from the property tax cap
equation or by providing some other form of significant mandate relief
so county property taxes can pay for the programs required by our
residents.
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