10 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2021
COVER FEATURE
FATHER AND SON TEAM UP TO
In 1990, its crusade against property
taxes was born. Now, after 30 years
and more than 335,000 completed
property tax grievances later, Property
Tax Reduction Consultants is
a family affair with the mission of
saving Long Islanders money on their
property taxes, one home at a time.
Sean Acosta, the president and founder
of Property Tax Reduction Consultants,
hails from humble beginnings
in Bayside, Queens. Coming from a
working-class background, the Acosta
family learned from experience about
the cost of living in the Big Apple.
Starting with Acosta’s first home
in Whitestone, Queens, he realized
that there was an opportunity in the
property tax grievance industry. He
launched Property Tax Reduction
Consultants in 1990 as somewhat of a
hobby and a quest to help his family
and friends make their property taxes
more affordable.
“I first began researching property
taxes for my family and friends, trying
to save them money. I realized that
there was a massive disparity in the
amounts of money that some people
were paying in property taxes versus
their neighbors,” says Acosta. “I saw
how unfairly the property tax system
was treating all New Yorkers and I felt
a calling to help.”
This calling would lay the foundation
for a tremendously successful company,
now in its 31st year of operation in
2021.
THE EARLY YEARS
At a juncture in history when technology
was just becoming more mainstream,
Acosta saw an opportunity to
invest in his company and embrace the
future.
In an industry which could have
been most aptly described as “done
by hand,” he worked with computer
scientists who helped him design
state-of-the-art software, making
the grievance process more efficient
and more effective. He was seeing a
technological revolution in property
taxes before his eyes, which laid the
groundwork for his company’s future
successes.
After evaluating and experimenting
with the new technological advancements,
Acosta set his sights on a new
frontier: Long Island.
MOVING TO LONG ISLAND
Acosta then expanded his practice on
Long Island and began operating out
of Roslyn. His practice was soon embraced
by Long Islanders, as suburban
New Yorkers pay among the highest
property taxes in America.
While it was no secret in the late 1990s
and early 2000s that property taxes
were high on Long Island, it was little
known that there was a proactive
way to reduce them, known as the tax
grievance.
His operation first began as a public
information campaign, to spread the
word of the millions of dollars in savings
that he was bringing to Nassau
and Suffolk homeowners. From there,
his client base began to expand from
the borders of Nassau County and New
York City to the Twin Forks on Long
Island’s East End.
“Property taxes do not discriminate,
and take a massive financial toll on
homeowners old, young, new to Long
Island or longtime resident,” says
Acosta. “At this time, it was new to
many that our tax bills were not a beall
and end-all for what must be paid,
so it was important to spread the word
about our services.”
With the notoriety around the grievance
process, his business grew. He
moved his company from Roslyn to
new executive offices in Jericho in the
2000s, and in 2020, he moved again to
larger offices in Plainview.
And don’t forget about the technology.
“Technology has moved at such a rapid
pace, and we have adjusted with the
times,” Acosta says. “Today, we have
expanded our technology to allow
local residents to communicate with
us seamlessly, without even picking
up the telephone. Our clients and
prospective clients can start the
grievance process with the click of a
button — in the palm of their hand — at
PTRC.com."
THE COMMUNITY
Acosta places an emphasis on being
part of the Long Island community,
which is why his name has become
nearly as identifiable with charity,
philanthropy, and community activism
as it has with property taxes.
No cause, though, is closer to his heart
than the United States Marines Toys
for Tots program, of which he is a vice
chairman. Acosta has reinvested tens
of thousands of dollars in profits to
make sure that the holidays are bright
for each child on Long Island.
But it is not only about toys. In Acosta’s
mindset, each and every holiday is a
time to give back. For years, he has
supported the Toys for Tots Thanksgiving
Dinner Benefit in Freeport. He
has brought Thanksgiving turkey dinners,
with all the fixings, to children
who are food insecure or homeless.
Giving the children a holiday experience
that they will remember is critical
to Sean’s mission on Long Island.
“The well-being of others is my top
priority,” he says. “I have been blessed
with the success that I have had on
“Our mission here at Property Tax Reduction
Consultants is more important now than ever,”
says Sean Acosta Jr.
Sean Acosta and his son Sean Acosta Jr. are the team behind Property Tax Reduction
Consultants. (Photo by Rob Rich)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/PTRC.com
