Mayoral hopefuls and property tax reform
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,12 MAY 14-20, 2021 BTR
JUSTIN BRANNAN & JOE BORELLI
First the good news. Delayed by delays
and then shelved for a year due to
the COVID pandemic, Mayor de Blasio’s
long trumpeted Commission on Property
Tax Reform is back!
The Commission recently announced
it would resume holding virtual hearings
in all fi ve boroughs to make recommendations
on how best to fi x New York
City’s inequitable property tax system.
The bad news is that our current
mayor will no longer be in offi ce to live
up to his commitment by the time the
Commission publishes its fi nal report.
We started 2020 by fi nally making
some progress on reforming New York
City’s badly busted property tax system.
Then COVID hit. Now, the dire need for
this Commission and the urgency for
it to complete its work has never been
more clear.
City Hall must have a comprehensive
plan to amend New York’s property
tax system in a way that makes assessments
more refl ective of the real value of
homes and less permissive of high-value
properties in certain neighborhoods to
pay a signifi cantly undervalued share.
We have heard time and time again
how the Mayor’s own properties in tony
Park Slope are taxed at a far lower rate
than most homes owned by middle-class
New Yorkers in the outer reaches of the
fi ve boroughs. Enough talk. The unfairness
is indisputable, blindingly stark,
and it must be changed once and for all.
But there is hope. In fact, it may work
to our benefi t that the Commission’s
plan will fall on the shoulders of New
York City’s next mayor.
Bill de Blasio has not been effective
in leveraging the powers and pulpit of
the mayoralty against the powers that
be in Albany. And now, as a lame duck,
he will have even fewer chips to play. We
hope that whoever becomes the 110th
Mayor of the City of New York has the
political capital to go toe to toe against
the stagnation, waste, and special interests
of the state capitol.
The state’s constitution will require
de Blasio’s successor to travel up the
Hudson – like 109 mayors who came before
– and wrestle the best deal they can
through the legislature. New Yorkers of
all stripes – homeowners, tenants, renters
and small landlords – should join us
in demanding each candidate commit to
supporting the tax commission’s recommendations.
Look, New Yorkers are squeezed.
Google any metric, from income taxes
to your electric bill, and you will fi nd
New York at or near the top of the list.
Nobody is immune to the climbing costs
of housing, healthcare, transportation,
and other necessities.
And, out here in the exotic outer boroughs,
homeowners are not the superrich.
They are public school teachers,
fi refi ghters, seniors on fi xed incomes,
retired city workers and hardworking
families that are the second or third
generation of their family to live in their
childhood home. Property tax relief, not
in the form of gimmicks or givebacks,
but a real reform of the system, is one
way which the next mayor can fi ght to
keep our city truly affordable.
For the candidate willing to invest in
a real property tax solution – or to even
simply turn and address it – the payoff
could be quite fruitful on Election Day.
The property tax system impacts homeowners
and renters, landlords and
developers – virtually all of the city’s
8.5 million residents. 33% of New York
households own their own homes and almost
100% of those are concerned about
rising taxes.
Experts have proven that the New
York City property tax system clearly
discriminates against communities
of color. There is near universal consensus
among policy wonks across the
spectrum that comprehensive residential
property tax reform is long overdue.
Yet, we have not seen any effort by any
top-tier mayoral candidate to earn these
voters’ support by discussing this problem
and telling us what they’ll do about
it if elected.
Property owners are one of the largest
and most diverse blocs up for grabs
in next month’s primaries. But this isn’t
just about homeowners – it’s about renters,
too! Unlike other cities, nearly two
thirds of New Yorkers are renters, and
most cannot afford to own their home.
In a city dominated by renters and
challenged by insanely high and rising
rents, renters often bear the brunt of
this busted system because the signifi -
cantly higher tax burden on rental properties
is often passed on to the renters
in the form of higher rents or cuts to repairs
and building maintenance.
We ask all New Yorkers to remember
to bring this issue up when they meet a
candidate on the street or attend a town
hall. Share this article on social media
and tag your preferred candidate. Demand
that they answer and commit to
a public stance on property tax reform
and how they plan to execute it.
Justin Brannan and Joe Borelli are
members of the City Council.
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