|
News
Dowling College Public Policy Institute Announces School Financing Reform Providing Long Island Taxpayers With A 47% Property Tax Cut
"The most significant obstacle to growth of the Long Island Economy is reducing property taxes," concluded Dowling College President Robert J. Gaffney, when he introduced the proposal by The Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College (LIESP) that would cut the average Long Islander's property tax bill almost in half. President Gaffney also thanked Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson for sharing his thoughts on how Long Island finances its schools.
The LIESP proposal would have all New York State teachers, excepting New York City, become New York State employees. The LIESP perspective was presented by Director Martin Cantor at the March 9, 2007 Roundtable For Long Island's Future. Mr. Cantor stated that, "the estimated 47% permanent property tax savings from the LIESP plan would not require any new taxes, but would result from a paradigm shift in thinking for how better to use New York State revenues that are already targeted for education from the Lottery, state aid and the STAR Program."
Mr. Cantor added, "that the remaining discretionary projects in the education budget would not be touched. This is not about changing priorities, it is about bringing equity not by more dollars, but by changing the underlying institutional obstacles to success; government must lead, and Governor Spitzer has shown that he is ready by putting money behind his words."
Nassau County Assessor Harvey Levinson said, "Long Islanders can no longer afford to pay for a school property tax system that is based on the market value of a home. Thanks to the vision and leadership of Governor Eliot Spitzer, I am confident that a bi-partisan blue-ribbon committee will be convened at the state level to explore ways to reduce school property taxes and create a tax system that is fair and equitable to all New Yorkers, based on eliminating the residential portion of the school property tax and replacing it with a modest income tax to be paid by renters and homeowners, allowing the sharing of the commercial tax base throughout each town, and overhauling the STAR Program's funding formulas that have shortchanged homeowners in Nassau and Suffolk counties since its inception."
Mr. Cantor concluded, "LIESP's proposal is not a conclusion but a serious beginning in creating new economic activity to Long Island and New York State, by making the region and the State once again affordable to businesses and young home buyers."
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
|
