Includes School Tax Freeze For Seniors
Somers, N.Y. – (8/22/12) –Senator Greg Ball (R, C-Patterson), appeared in Somers today before hundreds of senior citizens to unveil his tax reform plan that includes a local option to freeze school taxes for seniors, a circuit breaker to tie what homeowners pay in property taxes to their ability to pay, comprehensive unfunded mandate relief and reforms to the Property Tax Cap, making it tougher to override.
Senator Ball said, “When we took on the fight to cap property taxes, very few people thought we could get that done, but we did. Now I am continuing my fight to freeze school taxes for seniors and I am calling upon the legislature to return to session and pass my bill, S5052A [1] which will freeze property taxes for seniors. Coupled with this we must slash taxes on small businesses, finally institute reforms to the property value model making it a fairer system, pass comprehensive unfunded mandate relief and we must toughen up the current tax cap making it tougher to override.”
Due to skyrocketing property and school taxes, seniors are being forced out of their homes and out of New York State at an alarming rate. Yet seniors are not alone, for they are being joined by young families, retirees and small business owners all leaving New York in droves.
Senator Ball’s legislation seeks to remedy New York's property and school tax crisis for seniors by establishing a capped property school tax rate for seniors. By coupling a circuit breaker and school tax freeze with the existing capped real property school tax rate, it will provide much needed financial relief to our senior citizens, working families and small business owners.
Greg has been a consistent voice for comprehensive tax reform and relief and as an Assemblyman, Greg was the prime sponsor of A.6748, legislation to provide the local option to freeze Property Taxes for seniors. He coupled those efforts with a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights”. This groundbreaking legislation included a property tax cap, a state spending cap and a circuit breaker that tied what homeowners pay in property tax to what they can actually afford to pay.
Ball first proposed his Property Tax Reforms in 2006 and wrote the legislation in 2007. Despite calls from his colleagues that these reforms were not realistic, Ball reached across the aisle and reached out to Senators to build support for his plan. In 2010, the Property Tax Cap passed the Senate. In 2011, the Property Tax Cap passed both houses, and was signed by the Governor. Greg is proud to have delivered a tax cap, but now feels the fight must continue for comprehensive tax reform.
“Often, our seniors live on fixed incomes and a strict budget. New York residents have fallen victim to rising taxes fueled by over spending and waste. Working with Governor Cuomo, in a bipartisan and effective way, we have gotten the waste and spending in line, but we must continue our efforts for comprehensive tax relief,” said Senator Ball.
Ball called on the Governor and State Legislature to take an up-or-down vote before January 1, 2013 on these measures to reform property taxes, as well as pass a comprehensive mandate relief package.
"Seniors who cannot afford to keep up with the yearly increase in their School Tax bills are forced to sell their homes, and more often than not a young family with kids will move in. And as cute as those kids can be, they each come with a $20,000 price tag on their heads," said Senator Greg Ball. "The cycle perpetuates the increased costs of our schools and the increased spending. With this Property Tax Reform, we can control costs and spending, and Seniors, who are the backbone of our community, who organize our community events, parades and our pancake breakfasts, will be able to stay in their homes because that tax bill they receive when they're 65, they know it will be the same bill they pay when they're 75, and God willing, the same bill they pay when they're 105."
For more information or to speak with Senator Ball, please contact Joe Bachmeier at (845) 200-9716 [2].
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