I recently sent out a mailer to the constituents I represent highlighting the Property Taxpayers Protection Act, legislation that I am sponsoring, which sets forth several new and innovative approaches on how to reduce property taxes for homeowners across the state.
Currently, the only relief that homeowners receive from their skyrocketing property tax bill is from traditional School Tax Relief (STAR) and the Middle Class STAR rebate check program, which gives homeowners money back based on their income to help offset the ever-increasing burden of paying taxes on their homes.
While I support the STAR program and believe it provides important short-term relief, homeowners in Monroe County and other regions of the state are well aware that the checks are only fiscal Novocain for their rising property tax bills.
To address this issue and deliver New York homeowners with real and lasting relief from the state’s property tax nightmare, I am supporting the New York State Property Taxpayers Protection Act, which will lower property taxes by shifting costs from local governments to the state, increasing state aid to local school districts and capping property taxes. When fully implemented, this legislation will save homeowners $1.5 billion this year alone.
Now is the time to address the state’s egregious property taxes, which are making the American dream of homeownership less affordable for hardworking New Yorkers, and I am hopeful that my colleagues will lend their support to this bill and give homeowners the change they are looking for: lower property taxes.
I would like to thank the hundreds of homeowners who called my office in support of this legislation and I am confident that, together, we can force the powers that be in Albany to change the way they treat the taxpayers of this state and make Western New York a more affordable place to live.
Bill Reilich
Member of Assembly
134th District