Maragos: Calls for Emergency County and State Legislative Action to Protect Senior Tax Abatement

LongIsland.com

A crucial 2002 County Home Rule Ordinance affecting seniors expired on December 31, 2016.

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Our seniors must not be penalized because of an oversight by their government.

Photo by: Joe Zlomek, via Free Images.

Mineola, NY - January 13, 2017 - State Assembly Member Charles Levine rightly brought to light and informed the County Executive and Legislature that a crucial 2002 County Home Rule Ordinance affecting seniors expired on December 31, 2016. This County ordinance provided property tax relief to seniors over 65 years of age earning less than $86,000 per year and was known as the Nassau County Senior Tax Abatement. Effective with property taxes for 2017/2018, this Senior Tax Abatement which provided approximately a 5.5% reduction of their General Tax, will be lost, because of the sunset provision in the law and inaction to renew it. It is estimated that about 35,000 seniors will lose this benefit.

I urge the County Legislature, to convene an emergency session and pass the required Home Rule Ordinance requesting the State government to renew the Senior Tax Abatement retroactive to January 1, 2017 so that there be no loss of benefit to our seniors.  Concurrently, I welcome State Assembly Charles Levine’s readiness to sponsor the Legislature in Albany for quick approval.

Our seniors must not be penalized because of an oversight by their government.