PALUMBO, WEIK CALL FOR RESTORATION, EXPANSION OFSTAR PROPERTY TAX REBATE CHECKS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 15, 2020
CONTACT:  info@palumboforsenate.com

State Senate candidates call for bold property tax relief for Suffolk County homeowners

Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo, who is running for state Senate in the 1st District, and Alexis Weik, candidate for Senate in District 3, today united to call for New York State to fully restore the popular, essential STAR property tax rebate check program. Last year, Senate Democrats eliminated the checks, and Suffolk County homeowners have felt the sting.

Over 320,000 Suffolk County residents benefited from this program and its elimination has cost the average homeowner $658 in rebate funds, totaling a staggering $212.7 million. Given the perilous state of our economy and potentially devastating cuts in services looming on the horizon, this money must be returned back to the hands of Suffolk County families. To provide further relief to homeowners, Palumbo and Weik are calling for the STAR rebate program to be doubled.

“When I was elected to the Assembly, the very first bill I sponsored was the Affordable NY Act, which would have doubled the amount of the STAR rebate for homeowners,” Palumbo said. “Now more than ever, this type of bold property tax relief is needed. Given the fact that schools and local governments are facing staggering 20 percent cuts in their budgets, Suffolk County homeowners are once again going to be expected to do more with less. The least we can do is provide them with some essential tax relief and financial breathing room during these difficult, uncertain times.”

“In her first year as a state Senator, Monica Martinez voted to eliminate the STAR property tax rebate checks,” said Weik. “As Receiver of Taxes in Islip and a homeowner myself, I know firsthand just how crucial these checks are for Suffolk County families. As our communities struggle to move forward and rebuild after the coronavirus, we must do everything we can to provide our hardworking homeowners with some financial relief. We must restore and expand STAR.”

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