Kelly hopes to easy property and school tax burden on local residents

By: Eric Gross Putnam County Courier  January 26, 2006

CARMEL - Congresswoman Sue Kelly visited Carmel with some exciting news.

The 19th District Representative who represents constituents in not only Putnam County but sections of Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland and Orange as well, told a news conference Friday about her Homeowners Tax Relief Act that if approved would give local residents additional federal tax relief for the property and school taxes they pay each year.
Kelly's legislation would create a new federal income tax deduction for those who pay rates higher than the national average for school and property taxes. Kelly's bill would enable residents to deduct the amount they pay in excess of the national average that would lower the federal tax bill of most homeowners in the Hudson Valley.
An average Putnam family of four with an income of $70,000 pays $7,769 in property taxes, according to Kelly's office. The national average of property taxes paid by families of four with that same $70,000 income is $4,100. That figure was based on the U.S. Census Bureau.
Under the congresswoman's proposal, Putnam families would be able to deduct the difference on their federal income tax returns, in this case $3,669. "The more that people are overtaxed, the more difficult it is for them to pay their other bills and support the local economy. We must develop ways to help people keep more of their income rather than sending it to Washington in taxes," she said.
The deduction would apply to those who itemize tax deductions as well as those taxpayers who use the standard deduction.
Michael Tkacz is a resident of Carmel who finds the legislation "very enticing. It's tough for young people like my wife and I to make ends meet. With our first child on the way and taxes increasing every year, owning a home in Putnam County becomes more and more of a chore. We love the community and want to raise our child in the place what we have called home for many years. Mrs. Kelly's legislation would help us greatly as it would many senior citizens who also find themselves being forced out of the area due to high taxes."
Kelly explained that her bill resulted from a presidential panel late last year which recommended the elimination of local income tax and mortgage tax deductions as part of tax reforms.
Kelly called on President Bush to oppose the panel's proposals. "We in Washington must be looking for ways to provide more, not less, tax relief for New Yorkers. The President must reject the idea of eliminating either of these critical deductions and Congress people on both sides of the aisle should support the Homeowners Tax Relief Act as a way to provide additional federal tax relief to local taxpayers," she said.

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