Property Tax Groups and Fiscal Watchdogs Unite! Say Cuomo Tax Cap is Not Property Tax "Relief"

Urge Governor-Elect and Legislature to Support "Circuit Breaker" Relief

ALBANY, NY (12/15/2010)(readMedia)-- This week you heard opposition to the Cuomo Tax Cap from Counties, the Mayors and the School Boards Associations. Now its time for the people that actually pay property taxes to have their say!

Property Tax Reform groups from across NYS will be calling upon Governor-Elect Cuomo to champion real property tax relief in the form of circuit breaker. They will call upon Governor-Elect Cuomo to abandon his ill-conceived plan for a "property tax cap" that has failed in many other states and provides no relief to over-burdened tax payers. The group will urge Cuomo and the State Legislature to support short term relief in the form of a circuit breaker (the only property tax proposal that will actually provide over-burdened tax payers with relief because it links property taxes to income) and long term reform of the state and local tax relationship. Property Tax Reform advocates say the state has already taken $1.5 billion (STAR Rebates) from local property relief in the past 2 years and replaced it with nothing. Residential tax payers can wait no longer for relief nor can they suffer more gimmicks like tax caps and rebate checks. These propsals make good soundbites but are not sound solutions.

WHO:

The Omnibus Consortium: a statewide coalition of property tax reform groups and fiscal watchdogs www.omnibustaxsolution.org

Ron Deutsch, New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness

Gioia Shebar, TaxNightmare.org

Susan Zimet, Ulster County Legislator

John Whiteley, NYS Property Tax Reform Coalition

Robert McKeon, Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess (TREND)

Victor Bach, Community Service Society

Frank Mauro, Fiscal Policy Institute

WHAT:

Property Tax Reform groups from across NYS will be calling upon Governor-Elect Cuomo to champion real property tax relief in the form of circuit breaker. They will call upon Governor-Elect Cuomo to abandon his ill-conceived plan for a “property tax cap” that has failed in many other states and provides no relief to over-burdened tax payers. The group will urge Cuomo and the State Legislature to support short term relief in the form of a circuit breaker (the only property tax proposal that will actually provide over-burdened tax payers with relief because it links property taxes to income) and long term reform of the state and local tax relationship. Property Tax Reform advocates say the state has already taken $1.5 billion (STAR Rebates) from local property relief in the past 2 years and replaced it with nothing.

WHEN: Thursday December 16, 2010 at 11:00AM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE: LCA Press Room
Legislativve Office Building
albany, New York