Democrats Prepared to Marshal in 43% Property Tax Increase
It’ll Be the Largest Tax Increase in County History
Monday’s County Legislature vote on whether to maintain the county sales tax may have huge and burdensome effects on the county taxpayer in the form of higher property taxes. By removing their consent for the county sales tax Democrats in the county legislature will create a deficit of $26 million or a 29.8% increase in the County Levy for 2008. The result will be a sky-rocketing increase in property taxes.
“Hardest hit by the astronomical property taxes in 2008 will be seniors and working families,” said Chairman Gary Cooper (R-Pine Plains, Northeast, Milan and Standford). “I find it beyond troubling that the Democrats would risk such an enormous spike in property taxes at a time when everyone else in government is working to bring property taxes down. It makes absolutely no sense.”
At the Legislature budget committee meeting on April 12th key Democrats removed their support for Resolution 207108 that sought to enable the county to renew its existing sales tax law.
Democrat Legislators Minority Leader Roger Higgins (D-Wappingers), Fred Knapp (D-City of Poughkeepsie), and Joel Tyner (D-Clinton) all voted against extending authorization for the sales tax. Assistant Minority Leader Sandy Goldberg (D-Wappingers) and Fred Bunnell (D-Poughkeepsie) abstained from the vote awaiting approval on how to vote from State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston), even though he doesn’t represent either one of their districts..
This will be the second time this year that Democrats have withdrawn prior support for budgetary items. In January, all twelve Democratic legislators signed a letter to Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston) asking him to defeat the County Legislature’s unanimous and bipartisan request to impose a mortgage tax, that all twelve had voted for only month previously. That decision already has caused a $6 million shortfall in the 2007 budget and will cause an additional 13.2% increase to the 2008 County Levy.
“Overall if Democratic legislators prevail it will cause a 43% tax increase to the county levy through their rejection of revenue sources previously found in the sales and mortgage taxes,” acknowledged Budget, Finance and Personnel Chairman David Kelly, (R-Pawling). “Nobody’s talking about raising taxes, just maintaining the ones already in place. This is completely unacceptable and unfair to the residents of Dutchess County.”
Residents of the City of Poughkeepsie and the City of Beacon will suffer the worst from a Democratic vote against the sales tax extension. While most towns receive some share from the county sales tax, the City of Poughkeepsie and the City of Beacon each receive a significant percentage of the county sales tax distribution to put towards their overall city budgets.
If Democrats are successful in defeating the renewal of the sales tax, City of Poughkeepsie residents will see an additional 14.2% increase in their city tax levy, while Beacon residents will be hit with an agonizing 15.2% increase.
“The 14.2% increase to the city tax levy will be on top of the 43% to the county levy!” exclaimed City of Poughkeepsie Republican Legislator Rob Rolison who is working to see the sales tax maintained, “The sales tax is vital and crucial to the revitalization going on in the City of Poughkeepsie. Our economy will be severely impacted if Democrats have their way.”
The Legislature’s vote to extend the sales tax will take place during Monday’s meeting of the County Legislature on the 6th floor of the County Office Building on 22 Market Street, Poughkeepsie. The meeting will start at 6pm and begin with public comments.
“I hope the Democrats will have the foresight to consider how crippling a 43% increase to the county’s tax levy will be to the county’s property owners,” Chairman Cooper said, “We need to remember that our votes affect real people and make our votes count for them.”
