In the coming weeks, homeowners throughout the 21st Assembly district should keep an eye on their mail, as important details about how to apply for the property tax relief Rebate-NY plan, will be arriving.

Specifically, the New York Stateís Department of Taxation and Finance recently announced it has have begun mailing information packets that explain how to sign up for this important program I worked to enact this year.

Homeowners know quite well the outrageous tax bills they have to grapple with year-in and year-out. For many who are on fixed incomes, the current system is crushing and unfair. Working families struggle on an ongoing basis to make ends meet. Fundamental change has to happen with our tax system.

Recently, county executives in Nassau and Suffolk Counties have teamed together in an effort to promote a shared fund balance services plan to help lower purchasing costs and maximize interest of fund balances in municipalities, schools, townships and villages. This plan is one that I not only support, but one which I called Suffolk Countyís executive to express my desire to co-sponsor in the State Legislature. It will save taxpayers millions of dollars.

Today, the Rebate-NY program returns property tax relief funds directly to the homeowner. Quite frankly, thatís where the money should go in the first place, after all, itís your money. Understanding that more needed to be done this year, I successfully fought to include an additional $1.3 billion in relief in the 2007-2008 budget. Simply stated, homeowners should expect to receive close to double what they received last year and this amount will increase over the next two years.

The following provides a breakdown of what residents in the following school district can expect to receive if they have a household income under $120,000 a year:

Elmont School District $600

Franklin Square School District $546

West Hempstead School District $654

Floral Park School District $506

Valley Stream 13 School District $660

Malverne School District $721

Please note it is very important to carefully review the information you receive in the mail. It is required that you fill out an application that includes a special ìSTAR codeî identifying specific properties you own. The deadline to submit applications is Nov. 30.

As always, if residents have any specific questions or concerns on this program, feel free to contact my office at 437-5577 or email me at  HYPERLINK "mailto:alfanot@assembly.state.ny.us"
alfanot@assembly.state.ny.us. You can also visit the New York State Department of Taxation website at  HYPERLINK "http://www.nystax.gov"
www.nystax.gov.

Assemblyman Tom Alfano