City Budget

April 30, 2010. The New York State Property Tax Reform Coalition explains in plain language. Also see their circuit breaker calculator based on the Galef/Little reform bill. The  April 2010 issue of Land Lines, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's quarterly magazine, has a six-page article devoted to circuit breakers and how they work to relieve property tax burden, including a full page sidebar on "New York's Effort to Provide Targeted Tax Relief." Read the article - Property Tax Relief: The Case for Circuit Breakers >>

October 19, 2009. At a public forum hosted by Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro in Hopewell Junction, Frank Mauro of the Fiscal Policy Institute discussed the workings of New York State's current property tax system, and John Whiteley of the New York State Property Tax Reform Coalition discussed property tax relief and reform options for New York State. Watch the video >>

April 22, 2009. The Omnibus Consortium (www.omnibustaxsolution.org) joined today with Senator Liz Krueger in support of her reform bill S.4239, calling for action by end of session. Press release >>

March 27, 2009. The Omnibus Consortium (www.omnibustaxsolution.org) held a video press conference today to urge that this flawed program be replaced with a meaningful circuit breaker. Group press release >>

The Times Union has provided a forum for opinion pieces from various sources: September 7, 2008. A taxing solution: A tax cap forces Mass. towns to think about spending, by Richard P. Tisei, leader of the Republican minority in the Massachusetts Senate, and Bay State's Proposition 2½ not without difficulties, by Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. July 20, 2008. A point/counterpoint pair of op eds on the proposed tax cap:  Cap pressures government, not residents, to perform, by John J. Faso, [...]

July 14, 2008. 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 a new Siena 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 [...]

July 14, 2008. A collection of materials from researchers and stakeholders, including the Council of School Superintendents and the PTA. 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: Why a Property Tax Cap Is a Bad Idea for New York (June 2008) The Preliminary Report of the New York Commission on Property Tax Relief (May 2008) Reform in New York State's Education Aid Formula? (April 2008) Materials from the [...]

June 23, 2008.  TREND NY Poll Says New Yorkers Prefer Circuit Breaker over Cap. The Tax Reform Effort of Northern Dutchess 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. March 6, 2008. Presentations from Changing the Property Tax System in New York, a conference sponsored by TREND in Hyde Park. Property Tax Caps: What We Can Learn From Other States by Robert [...]

June 10, 2008. 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. Read the release >>