Worthwhile measure, but Tax-Cap Tango needs one more partner

Governor Cuomo needs to point the blame light squarely at the Assembly obstructionists As the clock ticks down on the 2011 legislative session in Albany there are several pieces of unfinished business that must be addressed before we bang the final gavel.

First and foremost is enactment of a property tax cap.

Skyrocketing property taxes are making it difficult for seniors to stay in their homes and tougher for young people to afford to purchase their first homes.

Families are constantly forced to rework their household budgets to pay for the ever increasing burden.

Placing a cap on school and local government property taxes would provide relief that homeowners desperately need.

Business owners are also tapped out.

Rising property taxes mean fewer jobs, less business expansion, and in the case of retail, higher costs that are passed on to consumers.

It is a vicious cycle and it needs to end now.

A number of major business organizations have joined in embracing a property tax cap.

The National Federation of Independent Busi-ness (NFIB), Unshackle Upstate, and the New York Farm Bureau have all offered strong support for the property tax cap.

Heather Briccetti, acting president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State says, “The property tax cap is overwhelmingly supported by voters in survey after survey.

Our manufacturing members have told us in a survey that property tax rates are a major hurdle to investment and job growth in New York.

This was the first bill the governor sent to the legislature and was quickly approved by the state senate.

The assembly must act on this vital reform.”

It is the last part of that statement that is important to focus on.

We all know the well used cliché, “it takes two to tango,” but in Albany it actually takes three-the governor, the senate and the assembly.

In the case of the property tax cap, two of the three are on the dance floor and ready to perform the property tax cap tango, unfortunately, we are still one short.

I was pleased that the governor recently initiated his own push to ensure passage of the property tax cap, but I must also say I was a bit disheartened that he seemed to paint the legislature with a broad brush in calling for the cap’s approval.

One of the first major pieces of legislation approved by the state senate this year was the property tax cap.

In fact, the bill, which I supported, came from the governor himself.

The cap would limit tax levy growth for school districts and local governments to two percent or 120 percent of the annual increase in the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is less.

So while I applaud the governor for traveling around the state promoting his property tax cap bill, I would suggest that the focus needs to be placed squarely on the state assembly, the missing partner in the three-way legislative dance.

Let me also add that while I am a strong supporter of a property tax cap, the measure will not be effective without significant mandate relief.

A good portion of what local governments and school districts are forced to spend their budget on is a direct result of requirements forced on them by federal and state governments.

Each time a cap is discussed, I have also called on state government to take steps to drop many of those requirements, freeing up local dollars for local priorities.

If you have not already added your voice to the battle cry in favor of a property tax cap, now is the time to join the fight.

Please sign the on-line petition at www.passthetaxcap.com and feel free to enlist your friends and neighbors who are fed up with skyrocketing taxes.

Together, we can advance this much needed tax fix that will give families some breathing room and allow upstate businesses to grow.