CEFR - NY
Property Taxes in NY State
(Excerpt
from NY Comptroller Report April 2006)
Property
Tax is the largest tax imposed by local governments in the state, representing
79% of all taxes outside of
www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/propertytaxes.pdf
http://money.cnn.com/2006/10/03/pf/property_taxes/index.htm?postserver
Last
Spring the Coalition for Education Funding Reform was created by a group of
concerned residents from the
In the
Property
taxes are considered a stable source of revenue but they are a regressive tax,
meaning that the burden tends to fall more heavily on lower-income taxpayers
and does not take into account one's ability to pay. Instead of a uniform statewide, professional
and equitable assessment, property taxes are based on a locally determined
property valuation process resulting in uneven assessments. While the STAR program provides some relief
to property owners, it is a transfer of a tax burden, not a tax cut and is not
a permanent solution.
Progressive
taxes such as income and sales taxes should be considered as alternate sources
of income, as well as assigning all the proceeds of the lottery to education as
originally intended. In addition, the
State and Federal government need to fully fund the mandates they force upon
school districts and provide reform of onerous legislation such as repealing
the Wick's Law which adds 10-15% to construction costs for school district
projects.
The
Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. State of
We are
asking every resident of the
If we
want to preserve our school district, our property values, our way of life, we
will all need to make changing the way education is funded in the State of
PLEASE NOTE THESE IMPORTANT DATES:
March 31, 2007 - deadline for the State Legislature to adopt a budget
April 10, 2007 - projected deadline
for Governor to sign budget into law.
Tips for writing an
effective letter
An
effective letter to a legislator needs three things:
1. Put your name and address at the end of
your letter AND on the envelope.
Legislative Members need to know that you
are one of the people they represent.
2. Ask for specific action.
For example: “I ask that you find alternate sources of revenue to reduce
the reliance upon property taxes for funding education in the state of New
York.”
3. Give a reason. Say
something about your motivation and/or state a fact.
For
example: “
**A personal comment will help to attract
their attention and will allow you to tell them how high property taxes are
affecting you and your family.
SAMPLE LETTER
Honorable ,
As a resident of the
This dependence upon property taxes
unfairly places the burden of education funding on one segment of the
community, the property owner, and therefore can be viewed as regressive and
discriminatory. Continually rising property taxes will cause current residents
to leave, prevent new families from moving in and will result in depreciating
real estate values.
We ask that you develop new, more
equitable methods of funding that utilize other sources of revenue such as
income or sales taxes- progressive taxes that reflect an individual’s ability
to pay, and insure that all lottery proceeds be allocated to education as was
originally intended. Regional costs of
living must be considered to be equitable.
We are not seeking reform at the
expense of our children, but are advocating foremost for a sound education for
all the children in the state through an improved education funding process
that redistributes the burden of funding education to all the residents of
Please make a commitment to my
neighbors and me to put education funding reform at the top of your legislative
agenda. I look forward to hearing of
your efforts on our behalf.
Sincerely,
Download letter by clicking here: CEFR LETTER.PDF
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Federal |
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Senator
Charles E. Schumer (D)* |
Governor
Eliot Spitzer (D)* |
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313 Hart
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Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) * |
Senator
Jeffrey D. Klein (D-NY 34th) |
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476
Russell Senate Office Building |
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E-mail: jdklein@senate.state.ny.us |
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Representative
Nita M. Lowey (D)* |
Assemblywoman
Amy R. Paulin (D-NY 88th) |
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2329 |
District
Office |
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E-mail: paulina@assembly.state.ny.us |
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T: (914)
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E-mail: ceo@westchestergov.com |
F: (914)
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Additional Representatives to Contact |
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Assemblyman Sheldon Silver |
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Senator Joseph L. Bruno (R) |
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T: (518)455-3791 |
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T: (518)455-3191 |
F: (518)455-5459 |
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F: (518)455-2448 |
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E-mail: bruno@senate.state.ny.us |
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef |
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T: (518)455-5348 |
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F: (518)455-5728 |
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How else can you help?
Informative Links:
April 2006 Alan Hevesi Comptroller Report:
www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/pubs/research/propertytaxes.pdf
This
report shows the aid that every school district in the state will receive as a
result of the CFE decision. *Note page 17, Tuckahoe and most of
*The New York State Court of Appeals ruling on the Campaign for
Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. State of
Property Tax Reform Task
Force: www.hvpropertytaxreform.org
Citizens Action of
DID YOU KNOW? That