Meet the Omnibus Bill

With the assistance of StatewideMediaProject.org and Total Webcasting, on August 15th, at Mohonk Mountain House in Ulster County, a group of tax reformers — The Omnibus Group — presented an omnibus reform and relief property tax proposal encompassing the best solutions on offer to reform chaotic property taxes wreaking havoc on NYS homeowners.

The bill was drafted by Frank Mauro of the Fiscal Policy Institute. Mr. Mauro, widely acknowledged as THE expert on school property taxes and fiscal matters in our state, presented the information in a live webcast.

The presentation is introduced by Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet.

We suggest all our followers and supporters watch the video.

Good news, bad news

I will describe the circuit breaker bill just passed in the Assembly by paraphrasing Winston Churchill: It is a modest little bill with much to be modest about.

The Assembly has discovered the circuit breaker — good.

They shrank it so much in the wash that it barely covers one's privates — bad.

A homeowner making $38,000 with a combined property tax bill of $8,000 (county, town and the biggie, school) will end up paying 17% ($6,460) of his/her income in property taxes. How do you spell relief? Not a-s-s-e-m-b-l-y c-i-r-c-u-i-t b-r-e-a-k-e-r.

But what does it matter? It's locked up in the Albany box from which no solution to the property tax tragedy ever escapes.

THE GOOD NEWS:
In the meanwhile, a consortium of groups, tax reformers, good government groups, and unions will be meeting to refine the circuit breaker in the Omnibus Bill (live on the link above).

We are relentless in our pursuit of equity and relief from destructive property taxes.

We and our allies will soon detail the REAL circuit breaker, which is part of the Omnibus bill...

Accept no substitutes.