The Taxnightmare.org Coordinating Committee ONLY endorses a candidate in an election if that candidate is squarely behind our tax reform proposals.

We are a one issue group and that issue is reforming chaotic and devastating property taxes… A big, IMPORTANT job in and of itself!

There is no primary in the Democratic Party for Governor but –as of now-the Dem candidate, Andrew Cuomo, is failing to advance property tax relief or reform as a platform item.

In the primary for Governor in the Republican Party neither candidate is espousing real property tax reform which would be the Omnibus solution which includes a circuit breaker-the only way to bring considerable relief to most people.

All the candidates for governor have spoken in favor of the faux cap as if it were going to provide property tax relief, which it most definitely will not!

The Cap is not only a bogus substitute for relief or reform it is a cruel hoax.

The cap is the scam du jour.

Proponents are allowing taxpayers to believe the cap (a tax levy cap or a budget cap) - is a cap on individual tax bills when they should know it isn’t.                                                              

Therefore we are not endorsing anyone for governor at this point.

Maybe they’ll ALL (Dem and Rep) learn something about the property tax issue before November.

However in the Attorney General race-in the Dem primary- we have been able to select a candidate who espouses our tax reform platform, he is Eric Schneiderman.

Schneiderman was one of eight smart state senators who voted against the cap knowing it wasn’t a property tax cap-defying the wishes of the party leadership in the Senate.

He knows our circuit breaker is the only legislation that will lower your property taxes…the ones you individually pay.

Eric voted correctly, against the politically expedient falsehood peddled by other politicians who are either ignorant of what a cap does and doesn’t do… or are lying.

He is a sponsor of our Omnibus Bill which contains the tax lowering circuit breaker.

If you are a Democrat, vote for Schneiderman in the primary on Sept.14^th.

Loyalty is important. He has been loyal to tax reform. Return the favor if you want progress on this front.

It’s important to send people to Albany who are really on the side of middle class property taxpayers…no matter what position they’re running for.

There is only one Republican candidate for Attorney General, Daniel Donavan.

Therefore there is no Republican primary.

Donavan has put forward a good idea that would impact property taxes.

When money is recovered from a Medicaid scam he wants the money to go back to the county where it came from instead of into the state’s very greedy maw…from where not a penny would flow to the county.

 This is a very good idea.

So remember, in the Democratic primary support Schneiderman.

…and if you are a Republican (or not) let Donavan know his idea on Medicaid is a good one.

In other statewide primary races-US Senate, Comptroller -we have nothing good to say about any candidate on the issue of property taxes since they have not REALLY addressed the issue.

It is especially disconcerting that in the US Senate race there’s not a serious mention of the destruction of the middle class by property taxes.

If the candidates -of either party- hope to evade this central issue of major tax inequity -which is spreading across the nation (NYS is a poster child of tax inequity)- by saying it is not the purview of a US Senator –(is it too far beneath their exalted selves  to rescue the middle class in NYS???)- then we are as interested in them as they are in New York State’s severe property tax problem-which is to say not at all.

We do not endorse based on any other issues.

We will have more to say during the general election.

These comments apply to the primary elections.

Mine went up ten percent…some neighbors went up even more… they couldn’t understand it…they said they thought they had voted for a budget with an increase of 1.6 %.

“What happened?” they wanted to know.

My neighbors thought there was supposed to be some logic to a tax…there ought to be some connection to reality…some reasonableness…

I have news guys…THERE AIN’T!!!

No logic, no fairness, no limit on how much you can be taxed, no reasonableness…no nothing but misery. That’s the property tax.

Had the state passed our Omnibus tax relief and reform bill -containing a great circuit breaker- this session- you probably would have seen a big decrease in your individual bill…

The legislators could have passed it…it was in both houses of the legislature…they chose not to…

They also chose to cut out the little rebate you used to get and not replace it with a circuit breaker.

They chose instead to spare the million dollar bonuses Wall Streeters paid themselves from bail-out money.

They deliberately chose NOT to help middle class taxpayers.

They chose to do a lot of other things with our income tax money and sales tax money (and innumerable fees and nuisance taxes)-like give themselves more cash for being in Albany working “extra days” on the budget- and giving “gifts” to voting blocs -

…And handing out some extra corporate “welfare”…

BE FOREWARNED- if what passes for government in Albany doesn’t enact the circuit breaker soon and reform the unfairness and chaos inherent in the structure of the property tax …

If they choose instead to pass a CAP (the word “cap” is a misnomer if ever there was one) and try to call it a “property tax cap”, your next school tax bill and your local property tax bills will be even bigger…MUCH, MUCH bigger.

Your bill speaks for itself.

Your bill doesn’t lie …it tells the whole sordid story of our state government’s  misplaced, mistaken, miserable priorities.  .

You don’t have to be a genius to know that Albany fiddled while property taxes burned up the middle class.

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THEY ARE- as I write this- DEFYING A COURT ORDER TO PAY UP WHAT THEY OWE FOR EACH CHILD TO HAVE A “SOUND, BASIC EDUCATION”.

You and I are paying Albany’s debt to society… and it is sickening.

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The Omnibus Consortium will take part in a  media campaign for tax equity that  will begin soon…

I can be reached at  info@taxnightmare.org or shebar4@aol.com

“

….we have come to the realization that the solution to the problem is to get the hell out of Dodge [New York State]. I will be 76 in October and my wife of 56 years will be 76 in February of 2011. We have lived in New York State our entire lives, but we are preparing our home for sale in 2011. Our situation continues to deteriorate and we are now paying 16% [$ 442.00 per month] of our gross adjusted fixed income in property taxes. If we remained here for another 10 years, we will be paying approximately $ 60,000.00 in property taxes. We are now between the “proverbial rock and a hard place.” The high assessed property values and resulting property taxes, have placed our property out of reach of local residents and we are being forced to sell in an environment that, according to a local realtor is the worst that he has experienced in the 42 years that he has been in business.

In addition to the aforementioned, Albany is now cutting back on the STAR program.”

From Harold C. Siver Jr. in Remsen NY

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Harold has fought for tax reform for years. He contributed two excellent papers to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform….unfortunately no one in Albany is listening.

 So we will continue to lose invaluable citizens like Harold and his wife.

…and that’s a damned shame!

 Nothing the pols in Albany are saying about taxes has any credibility…and nothing they are proposing will help reduce the pressure and keep Harold in NYS.

Every word out of their political mouths is a lie…including “and” and “the”.