With tax season upon us, many local families must deal with the annual stress and headaches that come with New York State’s heavy tax burden. Unfortunately, changes made last year to the state’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program overburdened some homeowners even more.

Many of my constituents have expressed frustration with the STAR Credit program, which applies to new homeowners. The program substitutes an upfront reduction in school tax bills with rebate checks. These checks were supposed to reach eligible homeowners by September, before school tax bills were due. However, many residents didn’t receive their checks on time or received them in the wrong amount, forcing some to take out loans or dip into their savings to pay the full tax bill.

I heard the concerns loud and clear, and I’m taking action to fix the problem. I’m co-sponsoring legislation to undo the changes made to the STAR program (A.5969). It ends the STAR Credit program and switches all homeowners back to an upfront reduction in their school tax bill. The legislation also returns administration of the program to local assessors instead of the state Department of Taxation and Finance and requires the state to help notify homeowners of new changes so they get their deserved tax relief.

Fixing STAR is a good step toward comprehensive tax reform. Central New York families also deserve equitable funding for education, health care and infrastructure. That’s why I support extending the current progressive tax structure. If this tax is allowed to expire at the end of the year, all taxpayers earning over $300,000 would be taxed at the same rate.

An extension to the current tax structure would generate revenue for the state that would be used to provide vital funding for our schools, roads and bridges, as well as other essential programs. This extension is coupled with tax cuts for working and middle-class families so you can keep more of your hard-earned money.

The middle class is the lifeblood of the Central New York – and national – economy. I won’t stop fighting until every family has access to the resources they need to climb the economic ladder and secure a better life for themselves and their children.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about this or any other community issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 315-452-1115 or at StirpeA@nyassembly.gov.