We, the residents of Plainview - Old Bethpage, Nassau County, are respectfully requesting that our NYS elected officials, Senator Kevin Thomas, Assembly-member Charles Lavine, and Governor Kathy Hochul, ROLLBACK the New York State home improvement exemption (HIEX) amendment 421-f of the Real Property Tax Law (RPTL).  Introduced February 3, 2021; "An act to amend the RPTL, in relation to authorizing an exemption for Class one (1) improvements to residential buildings and certain new construction in special assessing unit that is not a city;..." Nassau County code 4420

The new amendment language has unintentionally shifted $2Billion of property tax burden to Nassau County Class 1 properties without HIEX. Specifically, Plainview - Old Bethpage, Nassau County has seen an $8Million tax burden shifted to the rest of the POB tax payers to make up. This shift has caused the households without HIEX to absorb, and pay, an additional estimated $850 of their neighbors' taxes for the 2022 tax year.  The amendment allows this shift to carry on for the new construction for 8 years, causing thousands of dollars to be paid by Class 1 properties without the benefit of HIEX.  The shift is occurring due to the new language , introduced in February 2021 by Senator Thomas. The amendment provides new construction to be exempt up to $750,000 in market value.  Section 2 (a) (iii) states that "[i]n a special assessing unit that is not a city, the exemption shall be limited to seven hundred fifty thousands dollars increased market value."

Simply stated, this language is allowing luxury homes which sold for $750,000 to be taxed on a zero assessment.  Homes sold for $950,000 are being taxed as though valued at $200,000.  A Country Pointe - Plainview home which recently sold for $775,000 has an effective market value of 783. This Class 1 property has a total property tax bill of $111.18 for the 2022 year, leaving a $27,725 "hole".  It is unfair for any elected official to shift tax burdens from wealthy real estate development projects to the hard-working, middle-class residents of Nassau County, particularly Plainview - Old Bethpage.  We are all acutely aware that the Nassau County property tax system is broken, but interference like this amendment just exacerbates a faulty assessment system and tax code. It is essential that you, Senator Thomas, Assembly-member Lavine, and Governor Hochul remedy the proven consequence of HIEX 421-f of the RPTL by eliminating HIEX from the Real Property Tax Law.