New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, WE-Sag Harbor) announced the Assembly Majority introduced legislation reforming the state’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program to roll back barriers to fair, timely tax relief A.5969.

“Our focus should always be on helping families get ahead, buy homes and invest in our neighborhoods,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “Unfortunately, we’ve now seen that last year’s STAR changes overburdened families and seniors and made that so much harder than it already is. This legislation helps provide homeowners with the property tax relief they deserve.”

Changes were made to STAR last year that included switching administration of the program over to the state Department of Taxation and Finance instead of local assessors and altering how certain homeowners receive their tax relief. Before last year, all eligible homeowners saw a yearly reduction in their school tax bill. Now, all new homeowners – those who bought their first home and those who moved to a different home – have to pay a higher school tax bill then register for a rebate check from the state, which they are supposed to receive each fall. Although the amount of the benefit is the same, the new system is incredibly inconvenient for the affected homeowners, stated Thiele.

To make matters worse, countless homeowners reported receiving their checks much later than they were supposed to or even receiving ones for an amount that fell far short from what it should have been, leaving hardworking families in a bind and making it difficult for them to pay their school tax bill on time, noted Thiele.

The Assembly Majority legislation reverses these changes and transitions the program back to the way it was, providing all homeowners with their deserved tax relief upfront as a reduction in their school tax bill. Administration of the program would also be returned to the hands of local assessors, and further, the bill requires the state to help localities in notifying residents of these new changes so that all qualified homeowners receive the exemption.

“I’m working to make sure homeowners get their tax relief as smoothly as possible,” said Assemblyman Thiele.” “The STAR changes have resulted in far too many headaches for homeowners – from delayed checks, to higher tax bills and less money in New Yorkers’ pockets. We heard families’ concerns loud and clear and are taking action.”