(Long Island, NY) Senator Marc Panepinto (D-Buffalo) released the following statement on his vote to make the property tax cap permanent:
New Yorkers deserve continued tax relief. However, the fact that the Senate Republicans introduced this legislation while blatantly ignoring the valid fiscal and practical concerns of our municipalities was short-sighted. Back in 2011 when the tax cap was first passed, Senate Republicans made a promise to tie the measure to unfunded mandate relief. This obviously has not happened handicapping the ability of local governments to adequately address critical capital expenditures within our communities. The need for capital and debt exemptions need to be addressed to work on our crumbling infrastructure. It is imperative that New York State take responsibility for the burden unfairly placed on our local municipalities. After failing to deliver on that promise, we owe it to our local governments and taxpayers to revisit this critical issue before the end of session.”
Background on S.5597:
- Limits the annual growth in school and municipal property taxes to two percent or the rate of inflation
- Prohibits capital expenditures from being exempt from the tax levy limit
- Any other expenses must be accommodated within the allowable levy limit, unless the governing body successfully overrides the levy limit
Senator Panepinto represents the 60th Senate District, which includes parts of the City of Buffalo as well as communities in both the Northtowns and the Southtowns of Western New York.
