I am not, nor should New York’s property taxpayers, be happy with the Assembly majority’s property tax relief plan or the amount of school restoration aid that has been allocated for our state. Under the Assembly majority budget plan, many homeowners would not qualify for any property tax relief. This is not acceptable to the Assembly minority, who refuse to settle for a plan that does not provide all homeowners with the tax relief they need and deserve.

Under the Assembly minority plan, every homeowner who receives a School Tax Relief (STAR) exemption would receive additional and substantial property tax relief. An average homeowner would save $715 annually, and the average senior citizen $1,256 under the minority plan. It is time to get down to business and enact the minority plan to provide real and lasting tax relief to New York’s property owners.

We also need to grant our schools in Nassau County more restoration aid than is currently set aside for them. I am calling for an additional $72.86 million in aid to be allocated in New York state. The percentage that is being given to Nassau County schools just does not correlate with the high percentage of students in the area. We deserve our fair share in school restoration aid.