New York Lawmakers Working On Way To Provide Tax Exemptions For Active Military Personnel
WANTAGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- State lawmakers from Long Island are attempting to give some help to its men and women who are serving in active duty.
It's an effort to correct an oversight that many say needs to be rectified, CBSN New York's Jennifer McLogan reported Thursday.
Long Island has the second largest veteran population in the United State, with hundreds of resident homeowners in the town of Hempstead, alone.
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There is now a new push to give property tax exemptions to all active duty soldiers -- Marines, airmen, sailors, Coast Guardsmen and women -- in the state, a benefit currently offered to only discharged retired military.
"We have tens of thousands of active duty military personnel and reserve personnel in New York state, and these brave men and women who are serving us -- many abroad and many in combat zones -- are not afforded the same property tax benefits," Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen said.
"Any time you are deployed and in a combat environment we just have extra stressers in our life. We have concerns back home. We are concerned about defending our brothers and sisters to our left and right, so any type of tax relief that we have makes our life easier," U.S. Army Maj. Wes Webb said.
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It's an oversight that can and should be fixed in Albany, plead military members.
"It's critical that we extend to the active duty personnel the same benefits that we've provided to those who have served and are veterans," state Sen. John Brooks said. "The bill is introduced, we will vote on it in the next few weeks in our Veterans Committee and will try to get it moved through the Assembly and bring it to pass."
If passed, it would become law in 2020 and would allow any municipality in the state to provide tax exemptions for active duty personnel.
