Nassau County’s property tax debacle is reaching crisis point. As the new County Executive fights to justify re-assessments of properties for taxes, more expenses are being incurred and it seems homeowners and business property owners will be once again left for fend for themselves.
There seems little justification for reassessing properties for taxes at this point in the cycle. Except to increase tax revenues and receipts. A painful realization many in Nassau are waking up to according to coverage by News 12 Long Island, which shows some are already being hit with a 57% increase in their tax bills.
It’s also been revealed that the new assessments may be just as flawed as the previous ones. So, what’s the fix? The County Executive says they are now allowing residents to play a bigger role in the process, by guess what – challenging their tax assessments and bills!
It appears the only thing new about this big change is far higher property tax bills. It appears the hope is that many won’t be savvy enough to get help grieving their taxes, and will just be stuck paying more.
You can appeal and get your assessment fixed now so that you don’t have to overpay by contacting Property Tax Adjusters, Ltd. today.
As a consolation prize (or extra kick in the shins), the county has announced that it is opening more mobile offices, holding more meetings and is manning more hours to cover thousands of appointments from those complaining about the changes. Guess who is paying for that, and how? Well all of that increased expense is going to add to the budget. A bigger bill locals will have to pay on their next property tax installment.
Even higher taxes could be on the way with a new democrat majority in the senate.
What’s the solution?
With school taxes making up the bulk of property taxes and being so controversial, perhaps separating those taxes from property tax bills is a good move. They could only be applied to those with students in the local system. Though this will likely only cause more outrage.
Long Island Business News floats the idea of a new income tax or poll tax as a potential solution. Either just hitting all residents (owners and renters) with their share of the budget required to cover services. That may spread the burden out more evenly. Or an income tax which more accurately aligns taxes with wages. If you earn more, you pay more, but at the same percentage of your income. If you earn less, you give up the same percentage, but pay less.
Sadly, for there still clearly seems to be no real effort to fix the system right now. We’re still being over assessed and over-taxed for owning property in Nassau County. The bottom line is that if you don’t want to overpay by thousands of dollars each year, you must appeal your assessment and tax bill with the help of a local professional.