A few weeks back, a local gentleman published a letter to the editor in several papers in our area, calling attention to the utter insanity that is New York’s tax structure and the burden placed on our seniors. He couldn’t have been more on point, and I applaud him for articulating what so many of us know to be true: our tax system is broken.
Ultimately, I believe the solution – for seniors on fixed incomes, for working families, and for everyone in-between – ought to be to do away with property taxes entirely. But if you’re someone who also believes, as I do, that the public sector has an important role to play in funding our schools and vital services, we’ve got to make up the difference somewhere.
So, what have we done and what can we do? It starts by compelling New York State to fully fund its share of public school aid after so many years of underinvestment, as we did this year in the state budget, and making the two percent property tax cap permanent, which I helped pass in 2019. I also supported raising income taxes solely on millionaires while reducing the state’s middle class income taxes to their lowest rates in over 70 years. Last but not least, I’m leading the fight against wasteful corporate tax breaks that rob our communities of critical revenue and force residents to pick up the slack. Yet, clearly, there’s still more work to do because taxes remain too high for too many.
There’s a property tax crisis here in New York State. There’s an affordability crisis here. And after so many years of entrenched attacks on seniors with fixed incomes and cash-strapped families just trying to get by, we can’t keep penalizing those who have scrimped and saved to be able to buy a home here and expect them to stick around. I believe my Orange County neighbors deserve good services and programs, but it should not come on the backs of those struggling to afford a life here. Band Aid solutions are insufficient and a complete overhaul of the property tax system is the only way to ultimately solve the affordability crisis.
I want to thank the original writer for his thoughts, and for encouraging folks to reach out to my office. My team and I are always a resource to our neighbors, and strive to respond to every inquiry that comes our way. Lately, many of these inquiries have been concerned with mishandling of STAR and Enhanced STAR property tax rebates – something we’re investigating in collaboration with local assessors in the area.
Think we can help you with a tax-related issue or otherwise? Drop me a line: Skoufis@NYSenate.gov.
