Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Elected officials recently rallied in Brooklyn for the expansion of property tax exemptions for seniors and the disabled.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio joined New York legislators and senior and disabled homeowners on Friday in Brooklyn to support the passage of a state bill that would expand property tax exemptions for senior citizens and disabled New Yorkers.
According to the administration, current state law enables senior citizens and disabled individuals making up to $37,400 annually to qualify for property tax relief under the Senior Citizen Homeowners’ Exemption or the Disability Homeowners’ Exemption programs. Changes proposed in this legislation would raise the maximum income threshold to $58,400, which would constitute the first change to the cap since 2009. Currently, over 57,000 city homeowners are enrolled in these programs, de Blasio said. This adjustment reportedly would benefit more than 32,000 households.
“A simple change in the income threshold for SCHE and DHE would make a world of difference to older homeowners struggling to make ends meet in New York City,” said City Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado. “We saw the benefits when the maximum income for [Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption] and [Disability Rent Increase Exemption], the City’s programs that provide relief to renters, were increased. Raising the income threshold for homeowners is not only fair, it makes it possible for thousands more older New Yorkers to continue to live in their own homes and communities without having to worry about their property taxes going up.”
According to the City, currently, SCHE and DHE provide a property tax exemption of 50 percent of the assessed property value for senior and disabled homeowners making up to $29,000 per year, with homeowners making up to $37,400 receiving a smaller exemption on a sliding scale. Under the new legislation, senior and disabled homeowners making up to $50,000 would be eligible for the 50 percent exemption, with homeowners making up to $58,400 receiving a smaller exemption on a sliding scale. The city estimates that raising the income threshold would provide eligible senior and disabled homeowners with an average benefit of $1,750.
Additionally, de Blasio noted that the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit will be conducting increased outreach to New Yorkers across the city who are currently eligible and those who will be become eligible under the income expansion to assist them in enrolling in the SCHE and DHE programs.
“For many seniors and some individuals living with a disability the difference between being homeless and homeowner is a tax bill. The unfortunate consequence of a growing economy is the scaled increase of property tax burdens, a growing threat for many New Yorkers living on a fixed income. It is imperative for Albany to act now and expand the tax relief benefits of SCHE/DHE,” said City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica).
