On February 19th, 2013, the New York State Teacher’s Union (NYSUT) made good on its threat to challenge Cuomo’s property tax cap on schools by commencing an action in Supreme Court. The lawsuit, spearheaded by a plaintiffs group composed of teachers, taxpayers, and even parents, alleges in a 50-page complaint how Cumo’s tax cap harms school districts that serve low-income areas (creates… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Exemptions
Subscribe to Exemptions RSS FeedNYS 2013-14 Budget’s STAR Registration Program
Posted in Assessments, ExemptionsOver the past few days, there have been numerous news articles informing New York State property owners that they have to re-register for their STAR tax exemption. To set things straight – there is nothing you need to do right now to keep your STAR exemption. New York State Senate Bill S02607 details the “STAR Registration… Continue Reading
Op Ed from Syracuse’s Mayor, Stephanie Minor, Hints That RPTL Reform Is Needed
Posted in Assessments, Assessors, Exemptions, School Districts, ValuationA recent New York Time’s Op Ed post on February 13, 2013 from City of Syracuse Mayor, Stephanie Minor, states that “the model of using property taxes to finance schools, police, fire, sanitation and other services is no longer sustainable.” For years, we have heard from assessors, attorneys and appraisers heavily involved in assessment litigation that NYS needs to find another way… Continue Reading
Real Property Tax Legislation To Curb The Devastation From Hurricane Sandy
Posted in Assessments, ExemptionsOn Monday, December 10, 2012, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver introduced legislation to the New York State Assembly that would provide property tax relief to New York City home owners and businesses that sustained damage to their property as a result of Hurricane Sandy. This piece of legislation, which is entitled “The New York City… Continue Reading
Real Property Tax Law Reform – Revise Exemptions, Find Mandate Relief
Posted in Assessments, Exemptions“Mandates” – a dirty word. These days, the mere utterance of this word sends shivers down the overburdened backbone of New York State’s citizenry. Mandates cause our property tax payments to soar but, we are told, these mandates are imperative to the proper functioning of our society, government, and our public programs. One way to… Continue Reading
The RPTL § 420-a Exemption Application Unmasked
Posted in Assessments, ExemptionsEvery state, as well as the District of Columbia, provides tax exemptions for religious and educational institutions. In New York, the most significant exemption is provided by Real Property Tax Law (“RPTL”) Section 420-a, which provides an “absolute” tax exemption for real property (1) owned by an entity organized or conducted “exclusively for [exempt] . . …. Continue Reading