FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BY: TOM SUOZZI FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE 2013
(CARLE PLACE, NY) - School Property taxes have spiked 19% countywide over the past two years as a result of the Ed Mangano’s mishandling of the county assessment system, and Tom Suozzi has a plan to fix it.
"Ed Mangano is such a fiscal phony that his own past and present allies are blasting his policies," said Suozzi. "Look no further than comments made by Comptroller George Maragos and former ‘Conservatives for Mangano’ Chairman George Marlin as proof positive that Mangano’s policies have failed miserably."
On Wednesday night, the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority- of which George Marlin is a Director- issued a statement saying that Nassau County’s recently proposed budget has failed taxpayers "Blatantly and without remorse or explanation."
Marlin’s comments were part of a larger report by NIFA that summarized Mangano’s fiscal policies by stating "The details of this arithmetic are not convincing. Likewise, we are skeptical that they [Mangano] can wean themselves from their dependence on borrowing for judgments and settlements."
Maragos issued a report yesterday that chastised Mangano’s budget for, among other things, improperly allocating funds for property tax refunds - which continue to spike as a result of the "Mangano Tax."
"Mangano’s closest allies have come to realize that Nassau County is on the pathway to financial ruin, and it is imperative that Magano’s successor has an aggressive plan to provide relief to taxpayers," said Suozzi.
Read Tom’s plan below:
ASSESSMENT PLAN
If you are like the majority of Nassau County homeowners, your property taxes are going up—and the overall school tax bill you receive this month will be higher than your bill last year.
Ed Mangano's mismanaged tax assessment system means that you, the homeowner, are responsible for the refunds paid to businesses and residents across Nassau County. Nassau residents are stuck paying higher total tax bills while the big residential tax cert firms—who pay big bucks to pad Ed Mangano’s campaign coffers—thrive. It's a repeating cycle that increases our already-record debt and means that we all pay higher taxes now and in the future.
Tom’s plan will fundamentally change Nassau's broken assessment system. He will eliminate the county's borrowing to pay refunds, fix the commercial assessment department, and change the way the county pays grievances so Nassau homeowners are no longer responsible for handouts given to big business. And Tom Suozzi will restore integrity and professionalism to the assessment department so Nassau's taxpayers—not Nassau's politically connected tax law firms—benefit.
Problem #1: “THE MANGANO TAX”
Mangano froze assessments in a declining market and in a rising market. He then gave unwarranted reductions, which caused dramatic increases in the school tax rate.
Suozzi Solution:
--Devote the resources necessary to correct commercial and residential assessments and hire professional staff to conduct a substantive review of each grievance.
--Re-evaluate the freeze to take into account the cyclical nature and fluctuations in the real estate market. --Reduce the influence of politically-connected tax attorneys who profit from the broken system by adequately staffing the assessment department (particularly in the commercial department) to get assessments right the first time
Problem #2: MANGANO'S SHIFT OF THE COUNTY GUARANTY TO SCHOOLS AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES
The County pays 85% of the $100 Million in annual tax refunds to commercial properties—but almost 75% of that $100 Million comes directly from residential taxpayers. The problem is compounded by the lack of revenue available to pay the refunds on an annual basis. The Mangano Administration is attempting to transfer the burden of paying the cash refunds to the school districts (through the County Guaranty lawsuit) and other municipal entities, which will decimate public education and other local services.
Suozzi Solution:
--Immediately drop the County Guaranty lawsuit
--Implement a tax credit program that will reduce both residential and commercial taxpayers’ property tax obligations by the amount of their refund granted and require all properties within a particular class (residential, commercial, etc.) and within a particular taxing district (county, town, school) to maintain the approved tax levy.
--This tax credit system will end the unsustainable practice of borrowing to pay refunds and cutting our record county debt.
