Kolb: New Plan Promises Tax Relief For Homeowners And Businesses

May 16, 2007

Assemblyman Brian Kolb (R,C,I –Canandaigua) is co-sponsoring a new plan called the “Property Taxpayer Protection Act,” which is a package of several measures aimed at providing direct and immediate tax relief for New York’s property taxpayers.

“Property taxes in New York have become among the highest in the country,” said Kolb. “Certainly spending is out of control and taxation is out of control. This burden causes a strain on homeowners who seek to stay in New York and forces many businesses, particularly manufacturing, to downsize, fold up shop or leave the state all together.”

The main points of the act include:

• Requiring any state mandate imposed on a locality that costs more than $10,000 to be funded by the state,
• Preventing school district property tax levies from increasing by more than 4% each year or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, unless overridden by voters by a 2/3 majority vote, and
• Creating an Office of State Inspector General for Education to ensure proper spending by school districts.

“This legislation aims at fixing the problem by providing much needed direct tax relief to property owners. The best part of this proposal is its end result to help homeowners and give businesses a chance to reinvest in their operations and create more jobs.”

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