Galef: Constituents Want Tax Cap
Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, continued to make the case for a property-tax cap, releasing a survey today of about 500 of her constituents that found 88 percent want a cap on school property taxes.
During her re-election bid over the summer, Galef, who heads the Assembly Real Property Tax Committee, warmed to the idea of a tax cap after being a major proponent of a circuit-breaker, which ties taxes to household income.
She’s broken from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who has yet to back the cap and bring the measure to the Assembly floor. The GOP-controlled Senate (at least for a few more days) passed the measure over the summer.
Galef has been hosting Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi at events to tout a tax cap. Suozzi heads the NYS Commission on Property Tax Relief, which recommends the cap.
She’s hosting a forum with Suozzi on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 7-9 pm at Croton Village Hall.
Here’s some of the questions and answers from her survey:
Are you in favor of a property tax cap?
88%—yes
12%—no
If you favor a cap, do you think 4% or 120% of the Consumer Price Index (the lesser of the two) is reasonable?
62%—yes
38%—no
The (Suozzi commission) report calls for any school district that wants to exceed the cap to get approval by at least 55 percent of the voters and by 60 percent if the school district received a 5% or greater boost in state aid. Do you think this is reasonable?
70%—yes
30%—no
Do you think a tax cap should be passed as its own legislation?
76%—yes
24%—no
If not, would you support a cap in conjunction with a guarantee that school costs and state mandates for schools would be covered by state aid?
68%—yes
32%—no
If you believe state aid is necessary to keep schools strong, would you be willing to have your income tax raised to support the aid?
32%—yes
68%—no
Would you support circuit breaker relief in the form of a personal income tax credit against real property taxes paid in excess of a percentage of income?
64%—yes
36%—no
If “yes” would you support replacing the current Middle Income STAR Rebate check with the new Circuit Breaker and use the state money that currently funds this STAR program to pay for the Circuit Breaker?
44%—yes
56%—no
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Silver is well-known for allowing an Assembyperson who is in trouble with his/her constituents on a specific issue, to go vocal and get local press on that issue, and then he personally and quietly steamrolls the proposition to dust, as per usual. If you go public without his go-ahead, he removes your committees and perks, sees to it that you are ostracized, and you’re left swinging in the breeze.
These politicians say one thing and does something else. Why does the state assembly have committee chairs. Isn’t she the chair of the committee that regulates property taxes.
If she cann’t do anything why is she wasting are time brining Tom Suozzi into the Croton Village Hall to talk about Property Taxes.
The people in the Westchester County know what the problem is.
Apparently she still does not know that this is a major issue. Is that why she did another study to see how the people feel.
Who is kiding who.
The survey results show that the current property tax burden is crippling the people who responded to this poll. They need relief. What is Galef going to do to help the people in these troubling times.
If I could have sold this home this past summer, I would have left this state already. I currently pay over 10K in state and local property taxes and I am sure many of you do, too. WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO CAP THEM? Our tax percentage increases each year have been higher than both my raises (haven’t had any for several years) or my husbands (usually under 5 percent a year).
and there is a bigger problem..as the value of homes
decreases..the ratio of property taxes to house value
goes up …..ie you are really paying more for taxes
then it appears….that is what is making it so difficult
to sell a house…people don;’t care what a house costs
they care only what their monthly carry is..including
mortgage. taxes and utilities…and in westchester the
cost is not justified by what you are presently getting
that is why the state needs to act …and the localities
need to be abolished
Even if there was a 4% tax cap on school taxes there were items NOT included in this cap. Special Education and transportation would be expenses OVER AND ABOVE THE CAP INCREASE. With the high cost of Special Education, if your taxes are capped at 4%, add on the addtional spending for these programs and your taxes will still have a hefty increase. Tax cap is in need of work to be helpful to the taxpayers.
Actions speak louder then surveys. If Sandy Galef really was behind the cap, she would bring it up for a vote in her committee, which does not require the direct approval of Sheldon Silver.
Of course, this will never happen, because she does not favor a tax cap. She just pays it lip service. She seeks tacit approval from Silver before bringing anything to a vote, especially something that would likely pass.
I’ve heard a lame line that the bill is not before her committee, so she can’t force a vote, but anyone who knows anything about the legislative process knows that it will eventually reach her committee, and Ways and Means, before going to the floor.
She should be taking more action and less surveys.
none of the democrats will do anything against silvers
wishes…because he controls them and the teachers union
controls silver….this is all about the limitation of
the amount the schools can tax and spend..it will never
pass because the teachers union is afraid that it will
mean a cap to their salaries, pensions and health
care….we are being held hostage by the teachers
union….and 43 separate boards of education with
their own superintendents, and administrative staffs
why don’t you visit other states and see how they
run their education systems…in an area like westchester
there are never 43 separate school systems…incurring
the high adm costs that are inherent in so many redundancies
Galef will be in office as long as she wants. The voters in her district don’t care about what she does and how she votes. All they look at is that she is a nice older lady. The grandmother type. It is terrible that the people do not get to be represented in Albany by a good representative.
I totally agree with you concerning this subject. Nice post. Already bookmarked for future purposes.