Assemblyman Marc W. Butler (R,C,I - Newport) joined his Assembly minority colleagues today to announce a comprehensive plan to reduce New York’s property tax burden.

Saving Our Homes - The Assembly Minority Property Tax Relief Plan includes enhancements to the STAR Program, including STAR Excelsior and a Co-STAR program. Additional reforms would prevent waste and fraud in the Medicaid system and keep more tax dollars in the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers. The new proposals would save the average homeowner $715 annually and the average senior citizen homeowner $1,256 each year.

"In my district, owning a home is an essential part of the ‘American Dream.’ Skyrocketing property tax increases are jeopardizing that dream for many hard-working families," said Butler. "My property tax relief plan would lower taxes, making it easier for young families and senior citizens to keep what they have worked so hard to achieve - a home of their own."

The STAR Program has proven successful in providing school tax relief, but it has not kept pace with the current costs of property taxes and home values. The newly-proposed STAR Excelsior program would provide $1.75 billion in additional tax relief by immediately indexing the Basic and Enhanced STAR exemptions to the current median housing value. As a result, homeowners would see their current STAR exemptions rise by 70 percent. The new Co-STAR program would provide an additional $287 million in property tax rebates for seniors and farmers.

Fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicaid system also put a tremendous burden on New York taxpayers - to the tune of nearly $4.5 billion annually. Saving Our Homes calls for Medicaid fraud recovery and reporting legislation, strengthening the Office of Medicaid Inspector General, and allowing counties to return savings they achieve by eliminating waste and fraud to property taxpayers.

Unfunded mandates placed on local governments and school districts require these taxing jurisdictions to increase their tax levies on property owners. To stop this burden, the Assembly minority believes any state mandate imposed on a municipality or school district that costs more than $10,000 a year, or has a statewide additional cost of $1 million, should be funded by the state.

The savings for homeowners are as follows: