By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-940742.mp3
Albany, NY – Property tax activist groups, affordable housing advocates and fiscal watchdogs from across New York State have united - they are urging Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo to reconsider his plan for a "property tax cap" - Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
The group, collectively known as the "Omnibus Consortium," wants Cuomo and state legislators to support short-term property tax relief in the form of a circuit-breaker. Ron Deutsch of New Yorkers For Fiscal Fairness says that the alternative to the tax cap, involves linking property taxes to income. The circuit breaker alternative advanced by the coalition would also include renters throughout New York who are paying high percentages of their income in rent. Gioia Shebar runs Tax nightmare.org - she warns that a tax cap could destroy the middle class. TREND's Ron McKeon says 4 out of 10 working class families pay a large percentage of their income toward property tax, and that simply enacting a property tax cap will not help them.
The advocates note that the state has already taken $1.5 billion in STAR Rebates from local property relief in the past 2 years and replaced it with nothing. They warn that residential tax payers can wait no longer for relief nor can they suffer more gimmicks like tax caps and rebate checks.
And there's another group vying for Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo's attention: New York mayors and other municipal leaders are calling on the new administration to enact a series of reforms before considering any property tax cap.