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Property Tax Resources |
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Noteworthy
Commission Links
Fiscal Policy Institute Publications
Other Resources
Events
News - including a June
16
video from Capital Tonight in which David Little,
the director of governmental affairs for the New York School Boards
Association, summarizes many of the key arguments against a property tax cap,
and FPI executive director Frank Mauro presents the Fiscal Policy Institute's
alternative approach to property tax reform and relief.
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Noteworthy
May 21, 2008.
New York Shouldn't Look to Massachusetts as a
Model for Property Tax Reform.
With the Commission on Property Tax Relief poised to recommend that the state
impose a rigid cap on property taxes for education based on Massachusetts’
Proposition 2 ½, a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
describes the problems the law has created in Massachusetts and explains that
the impact in New York could be even more severe.
More about Hidden Consequences:
Press release -
html,
pdf
Executive summary -
html
Full report -
pdf
Among the key lessons:
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A tax cap won’t make government
services cost less.
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Claims that caps will produce large
savings through “efficiencies” are overblown.
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Tax caps can be particularly
harmful if adopted during a weak economy.
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State aid can’t be relied upon to
fill the gap.
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Changes in school enrollment can
have a big impact.
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Without effectively targeted state
aid, low-income communities will fall even further behind.
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Wealthier communities will override
a tax cap more frequently than poorer ones.
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Middle-income communities might end
up bearing the brunt of a cap.
RESPONSE from the Commission
on Property Tax Relief >>
May 21, 2008.
Statement from Chairman Thomas J. Suozzi.
MORE from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities >>
May 28, 2008.
Suozzi's Statement Ignores Truth
about Massachusetts' Property Tax Cap.
June 10, 2008.
Broad-based coalition unites to oppose
arbitrary property tax cap.
In a joint press release, representatives of a diverse group of organizations
summarized the key shortcomings of property tax caps like the proposal advanced
by Gov. David Paterson. The coalition members argued that New York needs
property tax relief, but that an artificial cap would harm educational programs
and doom efforts to close the achievement gap.
July 14, 2008.
Siena New
York Poll: Circuit Breaker & Gas Tax Cut Top Property Tax Cap.
While New York voters strongly support both a property tax cap and a property
tax “circuit breaker,” which ensures that property taxes do not exceed a certain
percentage of a homeowner’s income, when forced to choose between the two, a
majority prefer the circuit breaker, according to a new Siena (College) Research
Institute poll released today. More voters would rather see New York eliminate
32 cents of state gas taxes than cap property tax increases.
...
"New Yorkers overwhelmingly want tax relief. Property tax cap to limit
increases? Yes, 69 percent. Circuit breaker to limit what they pay in property
taxes? Yes, 75 percent," said Steven Greenberg, spokesman for the Siena New York
Poll. "But if they can only have one form of property tax relief, 52 percent –
including a majority of Democrats, Republicans, upstaters and downstaters – say
they want the circuit breaker."
More about the poll:
Press release and poll results -
html and
pdf
Cross tabs -
pdf
Editorial from the Albany Times Union -
html
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New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief
www.cptr.state.ny.us
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FPI
publications
August 15, 2008.
Short Term Tax
Relief and Long Term Tax Reform: An Omnibus Bill Approach. Although the
current property tax debate is profoundly concerned with tax fairness, tax
reform options are receiving little attention as elected officials, the media,
advocates and the general public look for ways to deliver to tax relief. The
immediate priority is best treated by a circuit-breaker; longer term, in order
to ease pressure on the local property tax base in a geographically balanced
way, the state should take over
$6 billion of school costs and assume $3 billion of revenue
sharing.
June 2, 2008.
Testimony on Proposed
Legislation Addressing Real Property Taxation Issues. Presented by FPI
Executive Director Frank Mauro to the Senate Standing Committee on Local
Government and Assembly Standing Committee on Real Property Taxation. The Middle
Class STAR rebate program is better targeted than the original STAR program in
that in takes income into consideration. However, Middle Class STAR is still not
efficient and equitable property tax relief, since it does not take the size of
a homeowner’s property tax bill into consideration and it is still based on
county and school district average of important variables. A circuit breaker
like S.1053-a/A.1575-a would address both of these shortcomings. The bill would
be improved by a broader definition of income.
March 6, 2008.
The Role of Property Taxes in New
York’s State-Local Tax System. A presentation by Frank Mauro, executive director
of FPI, at Changing the Property Tax System in New York, a conference sponsored
by
TREND, the Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess.
February 12, 2008.
Setting the Context for Commission Deliberations.
Prepared by Frank Mauro,
executive director of FPI,
for the February 12, 2008, meeting of the New York State Commission on Property
Tax Relief. Additional links:
February 11, 2008.
Property Taxes in New York:
A State Problem Calling for a State Solution. Why are property taxes so high
in New York? State fiscal policies have created the bind. A look at four reforms
that would help - and could be funded in a way that makes the overall tax system
fairer. In the meantime, a middle class circuit breaker would ease the pressure
on the property tax much more effectively that the Middle Class STAR program.
December 13, 2007.
Testimony of
Frank Mauro before the NYS Division of the Budget Public Hearing on Property
Taxes. Description of the special problems faced by New York localities
with relatively weak tax bases compared to their needs.
To a large extent, state fiscal policies have caused great pressure on property
taxes in needy cities, counties and school districts, including decisions: to
reduce revenue sharing; to decrease the share of local school budgets covered by
state aid, to divide the non-federal share of Medicaid costs without considering
ability to pay, and
to allocate STAR benefits in a way that exacerbates fiscal disparities.
December 5, 2007.
Testimony of Frank Mauro before the NYS Assembly Standing Committee on Real
Property Taxation. Using data from the American Community Survey, FPI
estimates the cost, number of beneficiaries and average benefits of the
circuit breaker credit, as proposed (Galef/Little
A.1575/S.1053)
and with several
modifications.
October 15, 2007.
Property
Taxes on Long Island: Zeroing in on the Problems and Solutions. This report
takes a fresh look at the property tax "crisis" and finds that: flawed
evaluations have resulted in flawed solutions, taxpayers in poorer districts
struggle the most, and voters in wealthy districts choose to pay for high
quality schools while voters in poorer districts have a much higher rate of
rejecting school budgets. Two oft-touted reforms have a negative impact on local
control and school equity; circuit breaker reform in contrast can be well
targeted to those who need relief most. Released jointly with
Alliance for Quality Education, the
Public Policy and Education Fund, and the
Long Island Progressive Coalition.
January 10, 2007.
How to Reduce the Pressure on the Property Tax and Ease the Fiscal Burden on
Struggling Local Governments. The four-point plan supported by FPI:
implement a statewide solution to CFE; increase state's share of Medicaid and
base counties' shares on ability to pay; restore commitment to revenue sharing;
and eliminate the significant disparities in the STAR program. Prepared for the
Center on Governmental Research conference on reforming property taxes in New
York. More here.
November 20, 2006.
One
New York: An Agenda for Shared Prosperity.
With a new governor in Albany for the first time in 12 years, New Yorkers have
high expectations for the future, seeing a rare opportunity for the state to
reevaluate its policies in a wide variety of areas. This political moment
provides a particularly exciting chance for state government to develop a
coherent economic agenda that will allow all of New York's regions to realize
their full potential. One New York: An Agenda for Shared Prosperity is
the Fiscal Policy Institute's contribution to this much-needed effort.
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Other resources A point/counterpoint pair of op eds on the proposed tax cap from the
Albany Times Union,
July 20, 2008:
Cap pressures government, not residents, to perform, by John J. Faso, former
gubernatorial candidate, and
Circuit breaker the best way to limit property tax impact, by Ron Deutsch,
executive director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.
Property Tax Caps
White Paper.
From the New York State PTA. (July 14, 2008)
TREND NY Poll Says New Yorkers Prefer
Circuit Breaker over Cap. The Tax Reform Effort
of Northern Dutchess (TREND)
conducted a random automated phone survey of more than 500 registered voters,
and found that New Yorkers prefer a property tax circuit breaker to a property
tax cap two to one. (June 23, 2008)
It's Elementary. A monthly column by John Yinger, director of the Education
Finance and Accountability Program and professor, Syracuse University's Maxwell
School. See especially:
Materials from the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
Galef/Little
Circuit Breaker Calculator
with both the upstate and the downstate brackets. From
the Real Property Tax Reform Coalition website.
Property Tax Caps: What We Can Learn
From Other States and Circuit Breakers: A Safety Measure to Prevent a Dangerous
Overload. Presentations by
Robert McKeon of TREND and John Whiteley, Tri-County
Committee for Property Tax Relief,
respectively, at Changing the Property Tax System in New York, a conference
sponsored by TREND, the Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess.
(March 6, 2008)
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Events
PAST EVENTS
August 23, 2008, Elizabethtown.
Achieving a Fairer Tax
System. A discussion forum sponsored by the Lincoln Pond Association.
Presentations by John Whiteley (of the Tri-County Committee for Property Tax
Relief and the NYS Property Tax
Reform Coalition) and Frank Mauro of FPI, followed by a general discussion.
August 18, 2008, Albany. Property Tax Caps: The Massachusetts Experience and
Lessons for New York.
Returning for a special session, the New York State legislature is
poised to consider the governor's call to place caps on our state's school
property taxes. How would the property tax cap proposal work and what are the
consequences?
Sponsored by FPI and
New Yorkers for Fiscal
Fairness. Featured speaker: Iris Lav of the
Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities.
June 13, 2008, White Plains.
The Future of Property Tax Relief in New York State, a New York State
Senate Public Hearing. The public was invited to testify on whether New York
should take over the county share of Medicaid; expand the real property
tax circuit-breaker; find a more efficient, fairer way to fund public schools;
impose a school property tax cap; or consolidate school districts or local
governments. Flier.
June 10, 2008, Albany.
Broad-based coalition
unites to oppose arbitrary property tax cap.
In a joint press release, representatives of a diverse group of organizations
summarized the key shortcomings of property tax caps like the proposal advanced
by Gov. David Paterson. The coalition members argued that New York needs
property tax relief, but that an artificial cap would harm educational programs
and doom efforts to close the achievement gap.
June 7-8, 2008, Long Island. Iris Lav, deputy director of the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities, was a guest on WLIW's public affairs show,
Crosson and Welles. Link to
video. Lav is the lead author
of Hidden Consequences: Lessons
from Massachusetts for States Considering a Property Tax Cap.
May 22, 2008, New City. FPI executive director Frank Mauro was the
keynote speaker at a public meeting on the property tax circuit breaker. Hosted
by State Senator Thomas Morahan and Assemblymembers Ellen Jaffee and Kenneth
Zebrowski, Jr. at the Rockland County Legislative Chambers. Handout:
Property Taxes in New York:
A State Problem Calling for a State Solution.
May 16, 2008, Greenburgh. Public meeting of the Alternative Funding and
Fiscal Reform for Public Education (AFFIRM ED) task force, convened by Senator
Andrea Stewart-Cousins to explore ways to provide reliable, adequate funding for
public education. This public meeting was intended to inform the ongoing effort
of AFFIRM Ed to address this important issue and the many related issues,
including tax reform.
Flier.
May 14, 2008, Saratoga Springs. Senior economist Trudi Renwick
participated in a panel discussion of property tax reform at the
2008 Conference on
State Taxation sponsored by the Business Council of New York State.
Agenda,
presentation.
May 5, 2008, Latham.
Senior economist Trudi Renwick
discussed property taxes and the enacted state budget in a
presentation to
the Long Island Federation of Labor.
May 1, 2008, Goshen. Executive director Frank Mauro talked about the
state budget and related tax issues with an emphasis on school finance and
property tax relief. Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther also spoke. The forum was
sponsored by the Orange County Democratic Alliance.
May 1, 2008, New Paltz. Executive director Frank Mauro spoke about the economics
of tax reform at a meeting of the Ulster County Legislature's Blue Ribbon
Commission on School Funding and Tax Reform. News articles:
Property tax burden takes center stage in speech by fiscal expert
(May 3, Kingston Daily Freeman);
The
problem with property taxes discussed (May 2, Mid-Hudson News).
Radio:
- MP3 (May 1, WAMC).
April 10, 2008, Syracuse.
FPI executive director Frank Mauro spoke at the
meeting of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief.
Transcript (starting on page 7).
March 6, 2008, Hyde Park. FPI executive director Frank Mauro spoke at
Changing the Property Tax System in
New York, a conference for local leaders and lawmakers. The
conference was hosted by the Tax Reform Effort
of Northern Dutchess (TREND) and sponsored by the Northern Dutchess
Alliance. Other speakers included Robert McKeon of TREND and John
Whiteley, Tri-County Committee for Property Tax Relief. Presentations:
Mauro,
McKeon,
Whiteley.
February 12, 2008. FPI executive director Frank Mauro spoke at the
meeting of the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief. Links:
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News
August 28, 2008.
Let wealthy relieve tax burden of poor. By Dan Cantor, Rochester Democrat
and Chronicle.
August 22, 2008.
Poll numbers and the property tax: Another take. By Dan Janison, Newsday's
Spin Cycle blog.
August 22, 2008.
Compromise remains elusive. By Joseph Spector, Journal News.
August 18, 2008.
Tax cap lessons from Bay State. Reported by
Curtis
Schick. Capital News 9. Also on
Syracuse News 10.
August 17, 2008.
Paterson’s tax cap proposal criticized. By Sara Foss, Schenectady Daily
Gazette.
August 16, 2008.
Property tax reform proponents unveil plan: Legislators, group back 'circuit
breaker.' By John Davis, Poughkeepsie Journal.
The occasion was the unveiling of the Omnibus Bill that would combine
short-term tax relief and long-term tax reform. It proposes enacting a
"circuit breaker" and, in the long run, shifting costs to the state.
The Omnibus Bill is the brainchild of Frank Mauro, director of the
Fiscal Policy Institute, an Albany-based economic think tank.
"We came up with this vision that sort of embraces the best of a number
of bills out there," he said.
August 16, 2008.
Bill would offer immediate relief on property tax. By
Jeremiah Horrigan, Middletown Times Herald-Record.
August 16, 2008.
Property tax reform bill proposed at Ulster conference. Mid-Hudson News.
Also in the
Catskill News.
August 16, 2008.
Ulster lawmaker, institute chief offer property tax reform bill. Kingston
Daily Freeman.
August 14, 2008.
Galef
pushes for 'circuit-breaker' tax relief bill. By Robert Marchant, Journal
News.
August 12, 2008.
Capping the Tax Growth. WBNG-Binghamton.
August 7, 2008.
Finding fair funding in New York without tax caps. By Greg Jobin-Leeds,
chairman of the Schott Foundation for Public Education and vice chairman of
Education Voters of America, Newsday.
July 30, 2008. A special
roundtable discussion on New York's economic health convened by WAMC-Albany
in the wake of Governor Paterson's proposed budget cuts. Hosted by Alan Chartock.
 
July 16, 2008.
Rethinking caps. An editorial from the Albany Times Union.
We hope this comes as a wake-up call to Governor Paterson and the state
lawmakers who continue to push for a cap on property taxes of 4 percent a
year. [...]
More New Yorkers, it seems, are recognizing that a better alternative is
the circuit breaker, which would give homeowners an income tax reduction based
on the percentage of their earnings that go toward property taxes.
July 1, 2008.
Tax Cap Hot Topic this Summer.
By Karen DeWitt, WXXI. A story about this summer's battling advocacy efforts -
with www.taxcutnow.com promoting the
circuit breaker concept and lining up against
www.taxcapnow.com.
June 16, 2008.
Arguments Against a Property Tax Cap. A segment on Capital Tonight with
Brian Taffe. David Little, director of governmental
affairs for the New York School Boards Association, summarizes many of the key
arguments against a property tax cap, and FPI executive director Frank Mauro
presents the Fiscal Policy Institute's alternative approach to property tax
reform and relief.
June 12, 2008.
Too 'Blunt' - Objections to governor's tax cap plan have some merit. An
editorial from the Syracuse Post-Standard.
The governor should take another run through his toolbox and consider some
more precise instruments. One promising possibility is the so-called
"circuit-breaker" plan that is mentioned in Suozzi's report.
June 5, 2008.
Researchers Split on Educational Effects of Property Tax Cap. By Elizabeth
Green, New York Sun.
June 4, 2008.
Property Taxes
’08, an Election-Year Gimmick in New York State. An editorial from the
New York Times.
The best part of the Suozzi proposal could be done more quickly. That is a
"circuit breaker" program that would freeze individual property taxes when they
became too large a percentage of a homeowner’s income.
June 4, 2008.
Tax cap caveats. An editorial from the Albany Times Union.
June 4, 2008.
Paterson to
propose school property tax cap. By Bob Conner, Schenectady Gazette.
June 3, 2008.
Taxed to the Max: NY Homeowners Need Relief. A op-ed by Tom Suozzi, New
York Post.
June 3, 2008.
Cap called key to tax relief. By Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union.
June 2, 2008.
Eying
the Bay State's Tax Cap. By Jacob Gershman, New York Sun.
May 28, 2008.
Silver would nix 'circuit-breaker': Tax relief plan can wait, he says. By
Jay Gallagher, Poughkeepsie Journal. Also in the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
May 27, 2008.
Tax cap
report, though late, still stirring debate. By Maria Brandecker,
Legislative Gazette.
May 24, 2008.
Property-tax cap on the table: Plan faces tough fight in Legislature. By
Paul Brooks, Middletown Times Herald-Record.
May 23, 2008.
Tax Relief: Property taxes can be reined in without hurting schools. An
editorial from the Syracuse Post-Standard.
Residents are rightly fed up with their property tax burden and rightly
concerned about school spending. But a blanket cap on how much their districts
can spend could end up hurting both them and their children. The circuit-breaker
plan would do neither.
May 23, 2008.
Rocklanders hear and discuss plans for a state
tax-decrease program. By Steve Lieberman, Journal News.
A story about the May 22 forum at which FPI executive director Frank Mauro
spoke.
Handout:
Property Taxes in New York:
A State Problem Calling for a State Solution.
May 22, 2008.
Report blasts tax-cap idea. By Jay Gallagher, Journal News.
May 22, 2008.
Property Tax Commission Report Due June 3rd. From EcuProphets, "weblog
of the New York State ecumenical community committed to peace and justice."
May 21, 2008.
Tax cap talk. By Rick Karlin, Times Union Capitol Confidential.
May 20, 2008.
Plan would cap property tax hikes: Proposal is one of several recommendations
from state commission to be presented June 3. By Jim Odato, Albany Times
Union.
May 20, 2008.
Learn about 'circuit breaker' bill to zap property tax burden. An op ed by
Irv Feiner, Journal News.
May 18, 2008.
Rockland state legislators to host forum on tax relief proposal. By Sarah
Netter, Journal News.
May 13, 2008.
Homeowners might get help: Proposal aims at taxes. By Paul Brooks,
Middletown Times Herald-Record.
May 5, 2008.
How Tax Circuit Breaker Would Affect Your Budget. By Delen
Goldberg, Syracuse Post-Standard. Also in the Post-Standard:
How would a tax "circuit breaker" affect you? Use our calculator. By
Douglass Dowty.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a mechanism to keep your property
taxes in line with your income? Proposed bill would cap property taxes based
on homeowner's annual income. About 340,000 upstaters could benefit.
May 4, 2008.
Cash-sucking machines. An editorial from Newsday.
Trudi Renwick, senior economist with the left-leaning Fiscal Policy
Institute says the formula includes three tiers and at least a half-dozen
variables. "To devise a formula that gives money to the highest-income
districts," she says, "you really have to get convoluted."
May 3, 2008.
Property tax burden takes center stage in speech by fiscal expert. By Hank
Gross, Kingston Daily Freeman.
May 2, 2008.
The
problem with property taxes discussed. Mid-Hudson News.
March 14, 2008.
State must work to fix property
tax problem. By
FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick,
The Saratogian.
March 7, 2008.
Meeting explores options for property-tax reform. By Christine Pizzuti,
Poughkeepsie Journal.
February 14, 2008.
Griffo cosponsors legislation to cap property taxes for homeowners. Rome
Observer.
February 11, 2008.
New kind of
property tax cap suggested. By Maria Brandecker, Legislative Gazette.
February 11, 2008.
'Circuit breaker' program may ease taxes.
By Maury Thompson, Glens Falls
Post-Star.
February 11, 2008.
Griffo boosts bill
to limit property taxes based on homeowner income. Rome Sentinel.
February 7, 2008.
Little pushes bill to cap property taxes. By Heather Sackett, Adirondack
Daily Enterprise.
February 5, 2008.
Plan to link tax breaks to income: Lawmakers propose "circuit breaker" that
gives rebates to those who need it most. By Rick Karlin, Albany Times
Union.
February 5, 2008.
N.Y. lawmakers have plan to limit property taxes. By Jay Gallagher, Gannett
News Service. Also in the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the
Journal News, the
Poughkeepsie Journal, and the
Ithaca Journal.
February 5, 2008.
Lawmakers plan to limit property tax rebates. By James T. Madore, Newsday.
February 5, 2008.
Little property tax bill gets support. By Maury Thompson, Glens Falls
Post-Star.
February 4, 2008.
Lawmakers Offer New Property Tax Relief Proposal. Reported by Walt McClure,
WXXA Fox News 23 Albany.
February 4, 2008.
Galef, Little Bill Would Tie Property Taxes to Income: Legislation gains support
of tax groups, Fiscal Policy Institute. Press Release, Office of
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef.
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