Protesters Storm Sen. Skelos' LI Office Over Property Tax Program For Wealthy
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Protesters stormed Sen. Dean Skelos' Nassau County office Wednesday to demand he stop his support for tax breaks for luxury condo apartments in New York City.
Chanting "Help homeowners, not millionaires," more than a dozen protesters tried to get their voices heard at Skelos' office, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported.
Protesters Storm Sen. Skelos' Long Island Office Over Property Tax Program
"We need the billionaires to stop getting the tax breaks," said Diane Gowens, of New York Communities for Change.
Protesters want Skelos to stop letting multi-million-dollar condos, like those at the One57 building in Manhattan, get out of paying most real estate taxes while Long Islanders pay double or triple the amount, River reported.
"We are now -- in Long Island -- considered the most expensive place to live in the country," homeowner Dennis Jones said. "And yet we have billionaires and millionaires paying less taxes than we do. It's appalling."
Jones said said his property taxes are $16,000 a year while condo skyscrapers in Manhattan pay a fraction of that.
Skelos was not in the office at the time, so the protesters promised "We'll be back."
