Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo’s Office
Addabbo said that he set up the town hall to help homeowners in his district better understand how they can reduce their taxes and take the strain off their family budget.
By Forum Staff
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) last week hosted a Property Tax Town Hall at the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council on Myrtle Avenue.
Featuring tax agency representatives from the City Department of Finance, the meeting was set up so homeowners in the 15th Senatorial District could better understand how they can reduce their taxes and take the strain off their family budget, according to Addabbo.
“One thing we can all agree upon is that no one likes to pay taxes,” Addabbo added. “Another issue we can all agree upon is that it is sometimes hard for New Yorkers, particularly those on fixed incomes, to afford their tax bills.”
In the five boroughs, real property taxes make up about 44 percent of all taxes collected to support the city, all of which go to important purposes: fire, police, sanitation, corrections, education, transportation, housing, health care, human services and many other critical public programs, Addabbo noted. To help relieve some of this burden, the City and State have both worked to provide opportunities for tax exemptions and credits. School Tax Relief (STAR) exemption and Enhanced STAR programs help homeowners and seniors get a break on school-related property taxes through Personal Income Tax reductions. In the past year, the State has allocated $618 million in savings for City homeowners receiving PIT-STAR program benefits.
In addition to STAR, a variety of programs have been enacted over the years to provide real property tax savings to elderly homeowners, veterans, disabled New Yorkers, members of the clergy and crime victims, the senator noted.
“In the State Senate, I am continuing to work on legislation that seeks to reduce property tax burdens on all New York residents,” Addabbo said. “I co-sponsored a law in 2015 to protect homeowners and businesses, rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy, from being hit with increased property taxes. I will also continue my support for proposed legislation to increase property tax breaks for senior citizens by expanding income eligibility for participation (S.237) and to provide our volunteer firefighters and ambulance works with real property tax credits (S.3905) related to their service, as well as other property-tax reduction measures
