October 4, 2006

Westchester County Legislative Leaders Call Tax Foundation Report "Misleading, Counterproductive" - Caution Against Misinterpretation

"Seriously misleading and counterproductive."

That's how leaders of Westchester's Board of Legislators are terming today's report that the County has the nation's highest property taxes. And they cautioned that the findings "neglect several important factors that skew the numbers."

"Some may jump to the conclusion that our County government levies the nation's highest property taxes to finance its operations," said Bill Ryan (D-I-WF, White Plains), Chair of the Westchester Legislature. "Well that's totally wrong. In fact, in recent years the County government has recorded a string of historic decreases in the tax levy, a year of no increase and a year with a less than one percent increase to finance its operations. Two years of unprecedented tax hikes were caused by steep increases in unfunded mandates that New York State passes down to the County."

"The report’s figures represent the aggregate of all property tax collected by many entities that homeowners see on their property tax bills, including school, city and town. The largest of these are school taxes," Ryan continued. "The County's portion is the smallest part, some 20 percent."

Martin Rogowsky (D-I-WF), the Board's Majority Leader, said that New York State's unfunded mandates "are the highest in the nation and they're devastating to property owners."

"New York State is squeezing local property taxpayers dry," Rogowsky said. "No other state comes even close to New York in total disregard for taxpayers. It's governmental robbery and by right our State government should be serving multiple life sentences for this assault on its residents."

Rogowsky and Ryan said they would have the appropriate County departments prepare an analysis of the report "so people can see for themselves how the real numbers stack up."

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Contact: Betsy DeSoye, Director of Communications
(914) 995-3277; (914) 275-6031 (cell)