Officials call for senior tax exemption parity between Nassau County and New York City

Jessica Parks
Town of Hempstead Tax Receiver Donald Clavin, state Assemblyman Ed Ra, Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello, Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi, and Floral Park resident Elaine Licari held a press conference calling for parity with New York City's senior tax exemption. (Photo by Jessica Parks)

Elaine Licari, a resident of Floral Park living on the Nassau County side of the village, does not qualify for a senior tax exemption on her property taxes because her income is over the maximum allowable limit.

Meanwhile, if she lived on the other side of her block, which is in New York City, she would be well within the range to receive the exemption.

New York City seniors can qualify for the senior tax exemption despite earning 75 percent more than their Nassau County counterparts, who are no longer eligible if they receive over $37,399.

The income eligibility limit for New York City seniors to receive the exemption is $58,399, an increase that was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2017.

At a news conference held symbolically at the border of Queens in Floral Park Friday, Nassau County officials called for parity between the Nassau and New York City senior tax exemption brackets.

Hempstead Tax Receiver Don Clavin said Nassau County seniors often have to choose between living near their families and taxes.

Licari said that she could have moved down South and “bought a house for a song and lived off the rest of the money for the rest of my life in great comfort” but she wanted to be near her family.

“Senior citizens, many of whom are living on a fixed income, unfortunately, have to contend with rising costs as they struggle to live in a county with the highest taxes in the nation,” Clavin said.

He said he expects that many more of those same senior citizens could see their property taxes skyrocket as a result of the county’s property tax reassessment.

He teamed up with state Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square), who introduced a bill to grant Nassau County’s senior citizens and people with disabilities the same tax exemption bracket as residents of New York City.

The bill includes a provision under which local municipalities could opt-in to the proposed senior tax exemption and empowers localities to adjust the maximum income cap to meet their budgetary requirements.

Ra said that like many other laws, the income bracket for the property tax exemption has not been adjusted in years while costs-of-living have continued to rise.

Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) and Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman attended the news conference and announced that they would fight for the enactment of the legislation at the town and county levels.

Licari said she used to be eligible for the senior tax break but not anymore.

“I did before but now they are requiring your tax returns, etc., so I do get more than $37,000,” she said.

She said her doctor said she needs a hearing aid that will cost about $5,500 which she doesn’t have the funds for.

If the proposed legislation is passed, she said that is the first thing she would spend her tax savings on.

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